


John Doe

by coincidental_penalties, watchforwalkers



Category: Glee
Genre: Canonical Character Death - Finn Hudson, Car Accidents, Character Death Fix, Episode: s05e03 The Quarterback, F/M, Head Injury, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Kurt OT3 Bang, M/M, Memory Loss, Mental Health Issues, Missing Scene/Chapter 9B Will Be Posted As Separate Story, Multi, Parent-Child Relationship, Post Episode AU s05e03, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Questions Of Consent, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Traumatic Brain Injury, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-12
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2018-01-24 12:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1605626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coincidental_penalties/pseuds/coincidental_penalties, https://archiveofourown.org/users/watchforwalkers/pseuds/watchforwalkers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Philadelphia has fallen in love with the John Doe brought in to Jefferson Hospital's emergency room with his pockets filled with a strange assortment of objects, but no ID. When Kurt sees John Doe's picture on the evening news in New York, he can't believe what he's seeing, and Rachel won't believe it. Finn Hudson died two years ago; he can't be the man in the pictures.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by jamfig; art and [fanmix](http://kinngirl89.livejournal.com/1528.html) by kinngirl89.
> 
> Chapter 9b, which contains the sex scene, is posted separately so that this story can be rated T. You can read it [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1607156).

  
Kurt lets himself into the loft and then shuts the door with a relieved sigh. More than two years after he and Rachel moved in, and despite a sometimes–revolving door of roommates, they’re back to how they were in the beginning: just the two of them, and there are days Kurt suspects that they’ll be living together for the rest of their lives.

The facts are simple enough, when Kurt thinks them over. Rachel hasn’t really maintained a long-term relationship since Finn, and Kurt’s engagement with Blaine had seemed so perfect, right up until the point that Blaine and Kurt were living together in New York. Their relationship had unraveled almost predictably over the course of a year, though it had taken another three months for Blaine to find a place and move out of the loft. Santana, though not romantically involved with either of them in the past or present, had moved out a month after Blaine. 

A quick check of the calendar confirms that Kurt has the loft to himself until later in the evening, and he pulls out a container of leftover soup to heat before sitting in front of the television and switching it on. 

One of the odder changes in Kurt’s life, at least to his own mind, is how he watches the news whenever he can. Usually the evening news, and it doesn’t happen every day or even every weekday, but as Kurt starts to eat his soup, he changes the channel and settles in to catch up on the headlines. Between classes, social outings, and work, it’s been more than a few days since he was able to watch the news, and Kurt puts his phone on silent so he won’t be disturbed. 

There’s the usual-of-late smattering of stories about the presidential primaries to lead off, followed by local news and other national news, and it isn’t until around twenty-five past the hour that they get into the human interest stories. The anchor starts talking about an unidentified young man in Philadelphia, brought into a hospital with no identification. 

After the anchor’s brief lead-in, the reporter on scene at the hospital smiles widely at the camera, and begins with, “Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, has _fallen_ in love with a man known only as John Doe. Brought into the hospital’s emergency room by Philadelphia police, with no identification or money, but instead, a treasure trove of mystery items in his pockets. Though we as yet have no real information about John Doe or his past, these items hint at a story of a love lost.”

As the reporter continues talking, her image is replaced by photo stills, quickly presented one after another as she narrates, “An engagement ring, a toy train, a stack of old playbills tied with a ribbon, a handful of glittery confetti, and a ticket stub from last season's game between the Eagles and the Tennessee Titans are among the items found in John Doe’s pockets. What does it all mean? With John Doe too ill to explain, all we can do is guess at what drove this man into the streets of Philadelphia this winter.”

“Jefferson Hospital and the Philadelphia Police Department are asking for the public’s help in finding this young man’s family,” the anchor says in voiceover as a picture of the patient is shown, first from what looks like the foot of a hospital bed, and then a close-up of the patient’s face. 

Kurt drops his soup. Except for a scar running along the hairline, the John Doe in Philadelphia looks exactly like Finn. Then the picture changes to one with John Doe awake, and Kurt tries to tell himself to calm down. The stranger in the picture doesn’t have the same look in his eyes than Finn always had. If anything, John Doe looks a little empty, like something is missing. 

The resemblance is strong enough, though, that Kurt reaches out for the pen on the table, scribbling down the website address and phone number displayed on the screen. Finn is dead, and Kurt knows that, but he has to understand why Finn’s doppelgänger is lying in a hospital in Philadelphia. 

Kurt has never believed in miracles, but that doesn’t stop him from sometimes wishing for them. 

When the local news ends and goes to the national broadcast, Kurt half-listens to the entire half-hour, wondering if the story has been picked up outside the east coast. There’s no mention of the John Doe in Philadelphia, though, and Kurt turns off the television and finally cleans up the cold soup, finishing just before he hears Rachel outside the door. 

He sits back down and looks at the scrap of paper, trying to decide what to say to Rachel. She has Finn’s name written on her skin, and she deserves to know if there’s even a very small chance that John Doe is actually Finn Hudson. Kurt nods to himself and turns towards the door with a fixed smile as Rachel starts to open it. He can’t hide this from her. 

“Good evening, Bibi!”

“Hello gorgeous!” Rachel replies in her Barbra voice. She leans over the back of the sofa and plants a smooch on Kurt’s cheek, simultaneously handing him a pint of Häagen-Dazs.

“Ooh, thank you,” Kurt says. “Rachel, we need to talk about something I saw on the news.”

“Can’t it wait?” Rachel pleads. She drops onto the sofa next to Kurt, putting her bare feet on his lap. “It was a long day, and all I want to do tonight is eat our ice cream and continue our _Sex and the City_ marathon.” 

“It won’t take long,” Kurt promises. “It was just a story on the news.” He says it more to convince himself than Rachel, unable to reconcile what he knows and what he saw. 

Rachel wiggles her feet, making a comical little pout. “Rub while you talk?”

“Fine,” Kurt says, heaving an overly theatrical sigh as he picks up one of her feet. “There was a story about a man in Philadelphia. He was brought into the hospital without any identification whatsoever, and they showed pictures of him. They’re trying to find out who he is.” Kurt’s hands still and he closes his eyes briefly before continuing in a whisper. “Rachel, he could be Finn.”

“Kurt,” Rachel says, her tone sympathetic rather than condescending. “We can’t start doing this again. I almost broke my ankle following that man who turned out to be in his fifties once I got close enough to really look at him, and remember, that Chinese gentleman was _very_ kind to not press charges against you.”

“I’ll show you,” Kurt says, picking up his phone and entering the website address. He waits for it to load fully before turning it towards Rachel. “There are pictures.”

“Fine, I’ll look, but Kurt, I do—” Rachel cuts herself off abruptly with a soft gasp. “He _does_ resemble Finn,” she continues after a few beats. “But Kurt, you and I both know that can’t be him.”

“I know it can’t be, but this picture suggests it _is_ ,” Kurt says, because he deliberately chose the one that most closely resembles Finn. “I’m going to call them tomorrow,” he says, making the decision as he speaks. “Just to ask a few questions.” 

“You can’t do this to yourself. You can’t do this to _us_!” Rachel protests.

“Even if it’s a very slim chance, I have to know,” Kurt says softly. “I won’t bring it up regularly.”

Rachel shakes her head as she continues to frown. “We went to the funeral. We saw the ashes, even. That’s not a mistake someone would make, Kurt. All that’s going to happen is that we lose all the progress we’ve finally managed to make in moving on with our lives.”

Kurt laughs bitterly. “What progress, Rachel? Neither of us is seeing anyone. Neither of us can stand going back to the state of Ohio very well, and we actually asked Puck and Quinn not to call us.” Kurt sighs. “I can’t explain it, Rachel, but I can’t just drop it.”

Rachel sighs, too, changing positions on the sofa so she can curl up against Kurt’s side, her head on his shoulder. “And when it turns out to _not_ be him? What do we do then?” she asks.

“The same things we do now,” Kurt says. “Classes, work, and marathons of good television with ice cream to keep us company.”

Rachel wraps both her arms around Kurt’s arm. “Okay,” she says. “If you need to do this, I support you.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” Kurt says, trying to muster a smile in her direction. “I’ll try not to upset you too much.”

“I’m just as worried about you as I am about me,” Rachel says. 

“I’ll be fine,” Kurt assures her, though he doesn’t know if he’s more desperate to convince Rachel or himself. “Shall we start tonight’s episodes?”

Rachel snuggles against Kurt’s side. “I don’t think Carrie and Big are really over at all,” she declares.

“You’ve seen this show at least five times,” Kurt says, shaking his head and draping his arm around her. 

“I know,” Rachel replies. “That’s why I’m so sure it’ll all work out.”

The two of them fall asleep on the sofa, which happens a few times a week, and after Rachel’s alarm goes off and she takes the bathroom first, Kurt stretches and turns his phone off silent. Aside from the lack of sex and sexual attraction, what he and Rachel have is almost as fulfilling as a real relationship. From an emotional point of view, it’s probably more fulfilling than what Kurt shared with Blaine at the end, even. Kurt and Rachel have what Kurt can best describe as a shared pain, one that no one else around them seemed to understand, not even Blaine. That’s why Kurt had resisted Blaine’s suggestions that the two of them move out on their own well ahead of the wedding. Kurt couldn’t leave Rachel. Like he told Blaine at the time, Rachel is family, and Kurt doesn’t leave family. 

Rachel emerges from the bathroom in her robe, her hair piled up and wrapped in a towel. “I left you some hot water,” she tells Kurt as she passes the sofa. “I hope you left me some coffee!”

“Don’t I always leave you coffee?” Kurt asks her as he stands. “Remember, Santana was the worst coffee thief.” 

“That’s why she’s gone and you’re my best friend!” Rachel calls over her shoulder as she disappears back into her bedroom. 

“Love you!” Kurt says as he goes into the bathroom and sets his phone on the sink. He has two straight hours of class, but then he has a break for half an hour, and he knows that’s when he’s going to call the number that the hospital in Philadelphia set up with the police in Philadelphia. 

A shower, two cups of coffee, a quick breakfast, and two hours of class later, that’s what Kurt intends to do, finding a quiet corner on campus and staring at the number and his phone for at least three minutes before pressing in the numbers, his hands shaking slightly as he does it. The phone rings once, then twice, before there’s the familiar click of a call being answered.

“Central Detective Division, Detective Lumm speaking,” says the brisk voice answering the phone. 

“Hi,” Kurt says, taking a deep breath. “My name is Kurt Hummel, and I’m calling about the John Doe in the hospital.”

“Yeah, you and half of Philly,” Detective Lumm says. 

“Oh. I’m in New York, actually, but—” Kurt cuts himself off. “I think there’s a possibility that he could be my brother. It doesn’t make any sense, but except for the scar, he looks a lot like him.” Kurt starts speaking faster, not pausing for the detective to speak. “Not in the picture where he was awake, he looked sadder and emptier than Finn ever was. That’s his name, Finn. Finn Hudson. And it doesn’t make any sense because Finn is supposed to be _dead_ , and he’d never been to Philadelphia, but I could send you a picture?” 

“Yeah, can you slow down and go through all that again?” Detective Lumm asks. “Not the stuff about the picture. Name, age, social if you’ve got it?”

“Finn Hudson. Finn Alexander Hudson. He would be twenty-one. I don’t have his social security number, but I could probably call my dad or stepmom if it gets to that point.” Kurt bites his lip. “I don’t want to mention it to them unless necessary, though.”

“How long has Mr. Hudson been missing, and is there a missing persons report filed with your local department?” 

“He’s not. He’s supposed to be dead, but— big mistakes happen, right? It was a car accident, in Lima, Ohio. The really big one, two years ago, with the whiteout conditions and the fire.” Kurt shudders, remembering seeing the pictures on the news, before they knew that Finn had been caught in it. “The one with all the injuries and fatalities.”

Detective Lumm doesn’t respond immediately, long enough that Kurt starts to worry that the call has been disconnected or put on hold. Eventually, though, the detective sighs. “I’m sorry to hear about your loss, but given the circumstances, I’m not really sure how your brother would’ve ended up in Philadelphia,” he says. “Did he have a history of any mental illness at all?”

“No,” Kurt says, then realizes that answer probably won’t get him further information. “He did once backpack for a month or so without telling anyone where he was going, right after being discharged from the Army. He shot himself in the thigh accidentally. Was there _anything_ with the John Doe? Does he have a scar on his thigh?”

Kurt can hear some papers shuffling in the background before the detective answers, “We do have a note here that he has a large scar on his leg. Doesn’t specify thigh.”

“It’s on his left thigh,” Kurt says, his voice shaking. “He’s about six feet four inches tall. If— if he really smiled, you’d know it. Has anyone played any music for him?”

“Not sure about that,” Detective Lumm says. “I can give you the number for our contact at Jefferson, but I do know they’ve said they think he might be schizophrenic or have some other mental disorder. He hasn’t been able to give them any real information.”

“Yes, I’ll take that number,” Kurt says. “I appreciate your help.”

The detective gives the name and number for a case worker at Jefferson, winding up the call with, “Hope it turns out to be the guy you’re looking for.”

“Thank you,” Kurt says as he ends the call, and before he can talk himself out of it, he immediately calls the number at the hospital, crossing his fingers that someone answers. 

“This is Geraldine Fitzwaters, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Case Management. Can I help you?”

“Hi, my name is Kurt Hummel, and I was given your name and number by Detective Lumm, regarding the John Doe?”

“You’re calling about Johnny!” Geraldine says, sounding excited. “Detective Lumm must think you have some real information, if he gave you my number. We had a lot of calls the first couple of days they were airing the story, but the detective has been weeding them out a lot better. So, what can you tell me about our John Doe?”

“Detective Lumm said he had a scar on his leg. Is it on his left thigh?” Kurt asks, holding his breath while he waits for the answer. 

“Mmhmm,” Geraldine says. “He sure does. Looks like a bullet wound. We thought he might be ex-military. We see a lot of vets out on the streets, I’m afraid.”

“Oh my god,” Kurt whispers. “My brother— he was discharged from the Army. He accidentally shot himself in the thigh. This shouldn’t be possible. He was in that huge wreck in Ohio two years ago on the interstate. My brother’s supposed to be dead,” he says, almost babbling. “But I saw the pictures on the news last night, here in New York, and he looks just like Finn.”

“Well, goodness me! I can imagine you’re dealing with a lot of emotions right now!” Geraldine says. “Do you have any proof of ID for your brother? Photographs, driver’s license, anything like that? The more you can give us, the better we can be sure.”

“I have photographs. They found what was left of his driver’s license in his truck.” Kurt takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to bother my dad or stepmother yet. I could be wrong. I have a strange question. Does your John Doe like music? Any particular music?”

“We haven’t put any music on for him, but he does like to watch the TV. Keeps him calm. He likes that American Idol show.”

“Oh, Finn,” Kurt says, laughing a little. “He _would_.” Kurt pauses, not sure what to ask next, when a thought occurs to him. “Would it be possible for me to come to Philadelphia and see him?”

“Can you bring any documentation you have for Finn, as well as two forms of ID for yourself?” Geraldine asks. 

“Of course,” Kurt says. “I’ll try to work things out for tomorrow or the next day. If it is him— how long does he need to stay hospitalized?”

“I can’t really give you too many details about his current course of treatment, but I think you should prepare yourself for the possibility of long-term care, if this is your brother,” Geraldine says. 

“Okay,” Kurt says softly. “I’m sure we can handle that if necessary. When I get to Philadelphia, should I check in with you first?”

“Yes, if you can call and let me know when to expect you, I’ll make sure to be in the office,” Geraldine says. “I’m just happy we might’ve found some family.”

“Thank you very much,” Kurt says. “I’ll be in touch as soon as I have more details.” Kurt gives Geraldine his phone number before ending the call, and he stares at his phone disbelievingly for so long that he loses track of time. Eventually he gets up and finds his way to his next class, which is already going, and Kurt drops into the back row of seats, not really paying attention. 

The difficult part about getting to Philadelphia is figuring out how early of a train he should take without alerting Rachel to anything happening. By the time everyone leaves the class and Kurt follows them, he has a ticket purchased for the next morning, early enough that he should be at the hospital by 10:30 am. He waits until after business hours to call Geraldine again and leave a voicemail with his estimated arrival time, and does his best not to act different around Rachel that night at home. 

Kurt leaves ahead of Rachel the next morning, knowing she assumes he’s planning to study or rehearse. Instead, he heads to Penn Station and tries to calm himself throughout the train ride. He takes a cab to the hospital, hoping he’s in the correct building, and then proceeds to a waiting area, where he dials Geraldine’s number for the third time, to let her know that he’s in the building, along with all the pictures of Finn that he could find. Either he’s a huge fool, or something extraordinary is about to happen, and either outcome makes him nervous. 

After only a single ring, Geraldine’s warm voice answers. “This is Geraldine Fitzwaters, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Case Management. How can I help you this morning?”

“Hi, this is Kurt Hummel. I’m in the downstairs waiting area.” 

“Mr. Hummel! I’m glad you were able to get out here so quickly,” Geraldine says. “I’ll be right down, and I’ll give our Johnny’s social worker a quick ring to meet us, too.”

“Great, thank you,” Kurt says, standing up and starting to pace as he ends the call and waits. After about five minutes, a larger woman in professional dress with a kind, lined face and a smaller blonde woman who appears to be in her mid-thirties emerge from the bank of elevators and approach him. 

“Mr. Hummel?” the older woman, who seems to be Geraldine, addresses him. 

“Yes, hello,” Kurt says nervously, offering her his hand. 

“I’m Geraldine Fitzwaters,” Geraldine says, as she shakes Kurt’s hand, “and this is Jessica Barnes, Johnny’s social worker.”

“We’re so glad you were willing to come in person,” Jessica says, taking Kurt’s hand once Geraldine releases it. 

“I know it probably seems far-fetched,” Kurt says, “but the way he looks, and the scar. There just aren’t _that_ many people that tall, right?” 

Geraldine nods, an odd look on her face. “You didn’t mention the height when you called before.”

“Oh.” Kurt can feel himself deflate a little. “I’m sorry, I forgot that was the detective that I mentioned Finn’s height to. Why? Is your John Doe actually short?”

“No,” Jessica says, an equally odd look on her face. “He’s very tall.”

Kurt digs in his bag for a moment, pulling out one of the pictures he had grabbed. “This is from 2012,” he explains, turning the frame towards them. “Our high school graduation.”

Geraldine puts on a pair of glasses that she has hanging by a beaded chain around her neck, and leans in. “Well, he _could_ be our Johnny. The boy in this picture looks much younger, though, more than just a few years.”

“That was before the Army or anything else,” Kurt says softly. “I don’t know where he would have been the past two years, either.”

“Let’s take you upstairs now,” Jessica says with a forced but kind smile. “Geraldine said you mentioned music?”

“I brought some music that Finn might recognize,” Kurt says as they walk towards the bank of elevators. “A few pictures from high school, group photos and that sort of thing. Finn wouldn’t voluntarily let us think he was dead for two years, so I assumed if it is him, he’s suffered somehow.”

“The doctor who’s been heading up his care says he thinks it could be schizophrenia,” Geraldine explains. “Not unusual for it to develop in the early-to-mid 20s. Dr. Norris can’t do much in the way of an evaluation until he’s recovered more from the pneumonia.”

“Oh.” Kurt frowns as they ride up the elevator, and they’re nearly to their floor before he speaks. “What about the scar on his head? I noticed it in the pictures. That had to be in the last two years.”

“It’s not recent, but it’s not old enough to have faded very much,” Geraldine says.

Kurt nods, following the two women out of the elevator and down several hallways before stopping in front of a closed door. “He may be sedated,” Jessica tells Kurt. “Sometimes he tries to rip out his IV line.”

“I understand,” Kurt manages as they walk into the room. 

The man lying on the bed does look older, and Kurt immediately thinks that he could use both a long bath and a haircut, but since Kurt knows Finn did not have a twin, his brain can come to only one conclusion. The man lying on the bed is, somehow, Finn Hudson. 

“Oh my god, Finn,” Kurt whispers, walking over to the bed. “How? How are you here?” Kurt’s hand hovers over Finn’s before he turns to Geraldine and Jessica almost desperately, pulling out more photographs and handing the pictures to them. “I don’t understand it,” Kurt says, his gaze swinging between the two women and Finn. “That’s my brother.”

“Are you certain?” Geraldine asks gently. “Sometimes the eyes can see what the heart wants them to see. We had an older woman come by on the third or fourth day, and she was sure that our John Doe was her grandson who had been abducted by his non-custodial parent. She stayed for almost half an hour before she had to accept it wasn’t him.”

“My brother also has a tiny scar on his right palm, between his middle and ring fingers,” Kurt says quietly. “Almost like a half-moon. Would you?” Kurt knows he could reach across and look himself, but he can’t do it, can’t touch this unknown person if he’s not sure it’s Finn.

Jessica nods and quietly steps around to the other side of the bed, carefully picking up Finn’s hand and turning it over. “There’s a scar like a half-moon,” she says, looking up and smiling at Kurt. “Do you know if anyone would have his fingerprints on file, so we can confirm it?”

“My stepmom might have some from when he was little?” Kurt says, frowning, then he looks up and smiles back at Jessica. “Finn worked with the glee club at our high school, the year after graduation. He laughed about having to do the background check and being fingerprinted.” 

“What school district?” Jessica asks, pulling out her phone. 

“Lima City Schools in Lima, Ohio,” Kurt answers. 

“I’ll call them right away,” Jessica says. “Geraldine, I’ll let you know when I hear anything. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Hummel. I’m sure I’ll see you again later.” 

Kurt stumbles backwards into the chair near Finn’s bed, staring at Finn. “How long will that take?” he whispers. 

“Probably won’t take too long to get the fingerprints. A few days for the whole process, maybe,” Geraldine says. “You’ll need to talk to Dr. Norris about how long Johnny—or, I guess we’d better get used to calling him _Finn_ —will need to stay in the hospital. He was very ill when they brought him in, and there’s the potential mental health issues on top of all that.”

“I— should I wait for the fingerprints? To tell anyone else?” Kurt asks. 

“That’s entirely up to you. We won’t be able to allow you to make any legal decisions for him until we have some kind of confirmation, but we won’t stop you or any other family from sitting in here with him,” Geraldine says. “I think he’s been alone long enough, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Kurt says, nodding. “Thank you. I think I need to at least call my best friend now.”

“I’ll just step outside, then. You let me know if he wakes up, or if you need anything,” Geraldine says, then she walks through the door and closes it behind herself. 

Kurt stares at Finn, who appears to be sleeping quite peacefully, and makes a mental list of what he needs to do. He needs to call Rachel, though he realizes it could be late that evening or even the next morning before she can arrive. He needs to find a pharmacy or similar store, so he can trim Finn’s fingernails and, he suspects, Finn’s toenails. If the store he can find nearby is well-stocked, Kurt may even try to trim Finn’s hair. And once there is confirmation via Finn’s fingerprints, Kurt will need to call his dad. 

Calling Rachel feels like the easiest to do, by far, and he presses her name before clutching his phone to his ear. It goes to voicemail the first time, and Kurt calls her back immediately, without leaving a message. This time, it only rings once before Kurt hears Rachel pick up.

“Kurt?” Rachel says, sounding out of breath. “Where are you? You missed Song to Stage IV!”

“Rachel, you need to see if you can change shifts at work or something for tonight if you can, and definitely for tomorrow,” Kurt says, trying to keep his voice calm. “Can you do that?”

“Kurt, where _are_ you?” Rachel asks again.

“Philadelphia,” Kurt admits, staring at Finn as he talks to Rachel. “Rachel, they’re pulling his fingerprints from when he was helping with the glee club. He has Finn’s scars. It’s Finn.”

Kurt hears a gasp, then a loud clatter. Rachel says, “Sorry! I’m sorry!” at what sounds like a distance, before she speaks into the phone more clearly. “I dropped the phone, I’m so sorry, but Kurt, are you _sure_?”

“I’m sure,” Kurt insists. “Even that little scar on his right palm. I can’t explain it, Rachel, but it’s really him.” 

“What hospital? How did you get there?” Rachel asks, rapidly firing one question after another. “Should I fly? What about the train? Where’s the nearest station?”

“You can get a train from Penn Station, then a cab to Jefferson Hospital. He’s in the main building.” Kurt releases a shuddering breath. “Rachel, he’s got pneumonia, and they think— they think he might have schizophrenia.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Rachel says softly, more like she’s talking to herself than to Kurt. Kurt can hear the sound of drawers being opened and closed. “He’s never had any sort of problems like that. Or…” 

“I know,” Kurt agrees. “But Finn’s not cruel, Rachel. He’s never been deliberately cruel. He wouldn’t have let us think he was dead, not if he could have told us differently.” 

“Of course he wouldn’t!” Rachel agrees. “Okay. I’ve gotten some of my things together. I’ll call work on my way to Penn Station. Is there anything you need? _Either_ of you?”

“I’m going to go get a few grooming tools for him,” Kurt says. “Bring me at least one change of clothes? Oh, and that spare old iPod and speaker set? We can play music for him.”

“Okay. I’ll see you soon. I love you, Kurt!”

“I love you too, Bibi.” Kurt ends the call and smiles fondly at the phone, glad Rachel is already on her way.


	2. Chapter 2

  
Finn coughs suddenly, and Kurt crosses to stand directly beside Finn’s bed, listening to the wet sound of the cough. For the first time, he really takes in all of the equipment surrounding Finn and on Finn. There’s a nasal cannula, what Kurt suspects is IV antibiotics for the pneumonia, and all sorts of monitors, most of which Kurt probably would remember from his dad’s hospital stay nearly five years earlier, if he took the time to rattle his memory. Instead, Kurt reaches gently for Finn’s hand as Finn coughs again. 

“Hi, Finn,” Kurt whispers, not sure if Finn is waking up or just coughing. 

“Am I Finn now?” Finn asks in a raspy voice without opening his eyes. 

“That’s your name,” Kurt says softly. He reaches behind him with one leg, sliding the chair closer so he can sit down, still holding Finn’s hand. “Everyone here wanted you to find out your name. Finn Hudson.”

“Okay,” Finn says, his voice starting to fade out. He coughs again and then his breathing slows as he seems to fall back asleep.

“Missed you,” Kurt whispers, wrapping both of his hands around Finn’s. After five or so minutes pass, Kurt decides that Finn is likely to stay asleep, at least long enough for Kurt to find a pharmacy or other store to do his shopping. Kurt carefully puts down Finn’s hand, then stands up, taking his bag with him as he navigates back to the elevators. If Kurt is lucky, the gift shop he saw mentioned on signage will have most of what he needs. 

Kurt gets Finn his own fingernail and toenail clippers first, then goes through the gift shop with a basket, examining each offering. Two different kinds of lotion, a nail file, epsom salts, a pumice stone, and an overpriced ‘cuticle treatment’ all go in the basket before Kurt changes aisles. He adds a loofah, body wash, and the razors and shaving cream he remembers Finn using before grabbing a handful of cards that promise the ability to order movies in the hospital’s rooms. Finally, he circles around to the candy, picking up several bags of Reese’s pieces for himself, then two large bags of Lifesaver Gummies and two more bags of Lifesaver Lollipops. Satisfied that he and Finn will make it through the afternoon, or at least until Rachel arrives, Kurt heads to the checkout, wincing slightly at the total. The clerk tries to make small talk, but Kurt fails at it and hurries back to the elevators and up to Finn’s room. 

Once in Finn’s room, Kurt starts unpacking his bags from the gift shop as well as the things he brought from New York, trying to make the room look less stark. Once Rachel arrives, there’s no real reason one of them can’t stay with Finn, and Kurt assumes his dad and Carole will arrive soon enough after the confirmation via fingerprints. Once everything is settled, Kurt calls the nurse for a second basin, setting up two epsom salt baths for Finn’s hands. That done, Kurt sets the timer on his phone and sits down beside Finn again. 

“I don’t know what happened to you, Finn. I don’t really think you have schizophrenia.” Kurt traces the scar on Finn’s face and shakes his head. “I think it has something to do with that scar. Oh! I should wash your face while your hands soak!” Kurt scrambles to his feet again, going into the small bathroom to wet two washcloths. He carefully scrubs Finn’s face, trying not to jostle the cannula, then wipes it clean with the second washcloth before patting it dry with a hand towel. Washcloths hanging, Kurt removes Finn’s hands from the basins.

When Kurt looks up at Finn’s face as he dries Finn’s hands, Finn’s eyes are open and watching him, and Kurt smiles at him. “Hi, Finn.”

Finn blinks slowly a few times, his pupils widening and shrinking as his eyes go in and out of focus. “I know you,” he says, in the same raspy voice as earlier. “Are you my nurse?”

“Yes, you do know me!” Kurt says, feeling overly excited. “But I’m not your nurse.”

“You’re not my nurse?” Finn repeats back. 

“No. I know you, too.” Kurt starts toweling off Finn’s other hand. “I’m going to rub some lotion on your hands and get your nails trimmed, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks. You’re not my nurse?”

“I’m not your nurse. Do you remember anything about me? Associate anything with me?”

Finn nods his head faintly. “You’re not my nurse,” he says. “I know you, and you’re not my nurse.” He starts coughing again and closes his eyes. 

“But for today, I will be your manicurist,” Kurt says brightly. “You can go back to sleep if you need to.”

“Okay,” Finn whispers. “Thanks.”

Kurt smiles and puts down the towel under Finn’s hands as he starts to trim Finn’s fingernails, and he hears the door open before he turns to see someone, presumably Finn’s nurse, enter. “Hello,” Kurt says. 

“I’m just here to change out Johnny’s IV drip,” the nurse explains. “I’ll be out of here in just a minute.”

“His name is Finn,” Kurt says firmly. 

“Finn? Okay. I’m here to change out _Finn’s_ IV drip,” the nurse says.

“That’s my nurse,” Finn says softly, his words slurring together. 

“And I’m sure that she’s an excellent nurse,” Kurt says, resuming his clipping of Finn’s nails. “Everyone wants you to feel better, Finn.”

“Thank you,” Finn murmurs.

Kurt finishes the last of Finn’s fingernails and quickly files them, patting Finn’s hand. “You’re welcome.” After the nurses changes several bags on the IV stand, she leaves, and Kurt discards the clippings before slowly sitting Finn’s bed up slightly. He rubs on the cuticle treatment before using the lotion, then replaces Finn’s hands more or less as they were before Kurt started. With all of that done, Kurt starts the process over, uncovering Finn’s feet and wincing at the state of Finn’s toenails. Since Kurt can’t figure out a good way to soak Finn’s feet, he fills one basin and uses it with a washcloth to rub down Finn’s ankles and feet.

“That’s nice,” Finn says. “I like that.”

“You’ve been rough on your feet,” Kurt says lightly. “We’ll get you some nice boots for the rest of the winter, how about that?”

“That’s good. Thank you,” Finn says.

“You’re welcome.” Kurt moves to the other foot and looks at Finn. “Do you remember anything else about me?”

“I know you. I think?” Finn’s eyes are open again, following Kurt’s hands, and Kurt pauses and nods his agreement. “Was it a long time ago?”

“I haven’t seen you in two years,” Kurt says carefully. “It feels like a very long time.”

Finn’s forehead wrinkles into a look of deep concern. “Did I love you then?”

“Well… yes,” Kurt says, because whatever else could be said about his and Finn’s relationship, he knows there was love there. 

“Do I love you now?” Finn asks.

Kurt stifles a laugh and smiles at Finn. “Well, I hope so. I _am_ clipping your toenails.”

Finn tilts his head to the side and looks at Kurt with what appears to be mild confusion. “Do you love me?”

“Yes, Finn.” He keeps smiling up at Finn as he dries Finn’s feet. “Do I seem like the kind of person who would do this if I didn’t?”

“Where were you?” Finn asks. “Where were you when you weren’t here?”

“I’ve been living in New York City,” Kurt says slowly. “I didn’t know where you were.” Kurt bites his lip. “I didn’t know we needed to look for you. I’m so sorry, Finn. I didn’t know.”

“Did you get lost?”

“No, Finn,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “But I think you did.” Kurt smiles sadly at Finn, reaching for the lotion and slowly rubbing it into Finn’s feet. “Do you have any more questions for me?” 

“What’s your name?” Finn asks. “Why don’t I know your name?”

“I don’t know why you don’t,” Kurt admits. “I think it has something to do with the scar on your forehead. The last time I saw you, two years ago, you didn’t have that scar. Would you like me to tell you the first letter of my name, and see if that helps you remember?”

“Okay,” Finn says. 

“It’s a ‘K’,” Kurt says, picking up the toenail clippers and starting to work. “My name starts with a K.”

Finn nods his head, his eyes following the movements of Kurt’s hands. “Starts with a K. Kuh kuh kuh.” He frowns, his forehead wrinkling again, then suddenly his whole face relaxes, transformed by the familiar smile spreading across it. “Kurt. Your name is Kurt.”

Kurt drops the toenail clippers and puts his hand over his mouth as he nods. “Yes,” he says, willing himself not to cry. “Yes. Oh my god. You remembered my name.”

“Your name is Kurt. My name is Finn,” Finn says. “Right?”

“That’s right,” Kurt says, grinning widely at Finn and still trying not to cry. “You remembered! There’s someone else coming to see you soon, and maybe you’ll remember her name, too, okay?”

“Okay,” Finn replies. “Does she know me, too?”

“Yes. She does. She and I are so happy we found you, Finn,” Kurt explains. “You may have to put up with us crying a little over the next few days.”

Finn’s face falls, the smile turning into a small frown. “Are you sad?”

“We were,” Kurt admits. “We were very sad without you.” Kurt squeezes his eyes shut for a moment. “I just really missed you, Finn,” he says quietly as he opens them.

“Don’t be sad,” Finn says. “Okay? I don’t like you being sad. I don’t like that.”

“No, that’s true. You don’t like it when people are upset,” Kurt says, nodding. “Are you sleepy? If you aren’t, I got you some candy downstairs.”

“Can I have candy if I’m sleepy?” Finn asks.

“I don’t actually know,” Kurt admits, giggling a little. “Maybe if you sit up more? I got you Lifesaver Gummies and Lifesaver Lollipops.”

“Do I like those?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Kurt suggests, getting out one bag of each, plus one of Kurt’s bags of Reese’s Pieces. Kurt sits back down beside Finn’s bed. “Tell me one thing you remember, besides my name and your name.”

Finn’s forehead wrinkles as he seems to think it over, before he answers, “The snow was on fire.”

Kurt inhales sharply, his hands pausing in the middle of opening the candy. “Yes. It was.”

“That really happened?” Finn asks. 

“It did.” Kurt takes a deep breath and lets it out before continuing. “It was a horrible, horrible accident. They found cars to add to the total days afterwards. The snow was everywhere and there were white-out conditions, and that would have been bad enough, but one of the vehicles involved was a tanker hauling gasoline.” Kurt’s shoulders sag. “There were a lot of people injured, and a lot of people who died, but yes. The snow was on fire.”

Finn’s entire body relaxes as he lets out a long, soft sigh. “It really happened. I remember that. It was real.”

“Yes, you remember it. You’re Finn, I’m Kurt, and the snow really was on fire.” Kurt hands Finn one of the Lifesaver Lollipops. “See what you think.”

Finn puts the lollipop into his mouth, his nose wrinkling and his lips pursing around the stick almost immediately. His face contorts into a look of abject despair that’s almost comical in its extremity, and he opens his mouth, letting the lollipop fall out of it and onto the blanket. “Sour!” he says.

Kurt can’t hold back all of his laughter, and he hurriedly hands Finn some of the Lifesaver Gummies. “No sour, got it,” he says. 

Finn eyes the gummies suspiciously, but once he pops one into his mouth, his face relaxes again, and he smiles, nodding. “I like these,” he says, after he swallows the first gummy. “Thanks.”

“Good,” Kurt says, handing the bag over and then opening his own candy. “How’s the food they give you here?”

Finn shrugs. “I think I like chicken,” he says.

“Well, I’m sure you’d like it better prepared not at a hospital,” Kurt says. 

“Are you taking me home?” Finn asks, popping another Lifesaver Gummy into his mouth. 

“We have to talk to your doctor about your pneumonia before they’ll release you, I think,” Kurt says slowly. “But after you’re medically okay to leave, yes. We’ll take you home.”

“Where’s home? I don’t remember home,” Finn says. “I remember… cowboys? And big windows.”

“We’ll take you to New York City. Maybe those are the big windows you remember.” Kurt frowns, trying to think about why on earth Finn would remember cowboys, of all things. “But you and I and the person on her way, we all grew up in a place called Lima. It’s in Ohio.”

“Lima like the beans?”

Kurt laughs. “Yes, Lima like the beans. You weren’t far from Lima when— where the snow was on fire.”

Finn chews on another gummy, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I played football in Lima. My uniform was… red?”

“Yes!” Kurt beams at Finn. “Maybe you had some kind of psychological reaction to the trauma of the accident. Or some part of your brain was injured.”

“I had an accident,” Finn says agreeably, nodding to himself. “I could fly, but not really, because people can’t really fly. Nobody else talks to me about football.”

Kurt nods, chewing on his candy and mulling over Finn’s words. At least a minute passes before Kurt suddenly understands what Finn is saying. “Oh. _Oh_. You were thrown from your truck when you were in the accident!” Kurt smiles at Finn. “I think no one has really listened to what you were saying before now, Finn.”

“I can’t find my truck. I forgot where I parked it, I guess.”

“Oh, Finn. It burned,” Kurt says. “It burned when the snow did. So many cars and trucks burned. That’s why we didn’t realize you were lost.”

Finn nods. “Yeah, I got lost,” he says. “But now we can go home to New York City. You live there. Right? Kurt lives in New York City.”

Kurt nods, pressing his lips together. “Right. We’re all going to go home to New York City. Just like we planned three years ago.”

“Is there a girl?” Finn asks.

“She’s on her way, remember?” Kurt says.

“Do I love her, too?”

Kurt smiles and nods. “Yes. You do.”

Finn pushes the bag of Lifesaver Gummies away and closes his eyes. “Okay. Good. I love you both so much,” he says sleepily. “So much.”

“We love you too, Finn,” Kurt says, moving the bag of candy off the bed for Finn and then reclining the bed. “We won’t let you wake up alone anymore.”

“Okay,” Finn whispers. “Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome,” Kurt whispers, but he can tell Finn has dropped off to sleep completely. Kurt pats Finn’s hand with his and can feel the tears welling up again. He doesn’t want to upset Finn by crying, but he’s overwhelmed and needs the chance to cry while Finn is asleep. Taking Finn home to New York is too much like a dream come true, a dream they all thought was not just interrupted at the end of senior year, but gone forever. Kurt fumbles for a tissue from the box sitting next to Finn’s bed, wiping at his eyes. He knows that with Finn remembering, he shouldn’t wait for the fingerprints to call his dad. 

Kurt cries for at least fifteen minutes before wiping his eyes a final time and checking the time on his phone. There’s still half an hour or more before Rachel could arrive, even if she managed to time her arrival at Penn Station perfectly with a train’s departure. Kurt realizes suddenly that he hasn’t had lunch, but he also doesn’t feel hungry, and he knows going to find food would be a distraction from the call he has to make. 

His dad’s name stares up at him, and Kurt takes several deep breaths before pressing it and waiting for the phone to start ringing. After just a few rings, Burt answers. “Hey, Kurt. How’s school treating you?”

“Hi, Dad. I’m fine. Are you in Lima or DC right now?”

“Just got back to DC. I’m in the office,” Burt says. “What’s up?”

“Have you see any of the news stories about the John Doe in Philadelphia?” Kurt asks. It won’t make the conversation much easier, but it could at least give Kurt a starting point. 

“Yeah, I think I caught part of that. The guy with all the weird stuff in his pockets, right?”

“Yeah. Dad, I need you to sit down. I can’t explain it, okay, but— it’s Finn. I know I sound crazy, but they’re pulling his fingerprints to confirm it, and I’ve talked to him. It’s _Finn_.”

Burt doesn’t respond immediately. When he does, his voice has a faint note of tremor in it. “Son, I’m going to need you to repeat that for me, a little slower this time.”

“I’m in Philadelphia. The John Doe is Finn. I’m not crazy, I swear. He remembered my name, Dad. It’s really him.” Kurt takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “He remembers the accident. I think he was thrown from the truck.”

“They found his body in his truck, Kurt,” Burt says. “He had his ID with him.”

“I don’t know who they found, Dad, but Finn is sitting right in front of me with pneumonia and a scar across his forehead that he didn’t used to have. I know it’s unbelievable. I know it is. But I need you to believe me.”

“Kurt, _how_?” Burt asks. 

“I don’t know. If he really was thrown from the truck…” Kurt trails off and sighs. “You and I both know that accident scene was complete chaos. There wasn’t confirmation via dental records. I don’t know how it happened, but he _remembered my name_. He remembers Rachel, but not her name. It’s Finn.” Kurt sighs again. “The doctors think he might be schizophrenic. I think it’s more likely related to the scar on his forehead or a psychological reaction to the accident, but any of those would explain why he didn’t contact us.”

“Where are you? Which hospital?”

“Jefferson Hospital. He has a very nice case worker named Geraldine, and the social worker is getting the fingerprints from Lima City Schools. Her name’s Jessica. I didn’t tell them you were in Congress.”

“I’ll book a flight out there as quickly as I can,” Burt says. “What other paperwork do they need? Do we have a timeline on how long he’ll be in the hospital? Oh, shit, I have to tell Carole. How am I going to tell Carole?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt admits. “I think they’d like his social security number. Maybe dental records this time. He’s still got pneumonia, but after they release him we’ll take him home.” 

“We’ll have to rearrange some things to make sure one of us is with him while he’s recovering,” Burt says, sounding more like he’s talking through the steps for his own benefit. 

“Mmm,” Kurt acknowledges, because this isn’t the day to argue over where home will be for Finn, not yet. “We need to keep this out of the press as much as possible, at least until we have time to let some people know. They don’t need to find out via the Internet or the evening news. Make sure you don’t have on anything that identifies you. No lapel pins.”

“Right,” Burt agrees. “I feel like I’m in shock right now or something.”

“It’s very strange, yes. Oh wait.” Kurt pulls out the piece of paper he’s still been carrying around, with Detective Lumm’s and Geraldine’s numbers on them. “Let me give you the detective’s number and Finn’s case worker’s number as well. I’m sure you could call Geraldine when you arrive.” Kurt waits a few seconds to make sure Burt has a chance to grab a pencil, then reads them off. “I’ll see you later today? This evening?”

“We’ll get out there as quickly as we can. I just hope Carole handles this well,” Burt says. “Call me or text me if you can think of anything else you need, or anything else we should bring, or anything we should do before we get there.”

“Okay, Dad. I will. We’ll be here. I’m not going to leave him alone after all of this.”

“Love you, son.”

“Love you too, Dad.” The call ends, and Kurt scrolls through his contacts. There will be more calls to make, and they’ll have to figure out how long they can wait to make them without waiting too long, and the media doing the informing for them. There’s no one else that Kurt feels should know yet, though, so he puts the phone down and takes better stock of the room. In addition to the chair Kurt is currently sitting it, there’s what appears to be a foldout sleeper chair, but no additional seating. Kurt supposes he should look into nearby hotels for his dad and Carole, but since he’s not sure when they’ll arrive or how long they’ll stay, he doesn’t want to make an actual reservation. 

“We’ll bring you home to the loft,” Kurt says to Finn as he sleeps. “We’ll rearrange whatever we need to rearrange. The furniture, our classes, work schedules, whatever needs to be done. I’m sorry I didn’t get your hair trimmed or washed before she got here, but we’ll get to it soon, okay?” 

Kurt sits in a strangely easy silence, watching Finn sleep, until he hears footsteps outside that click instead of squeak, and he turns towards the door as it starts to push open. He hears a thump of bags hitting the floor before the door is even completely open, and Rachel stands in the doorway, both hands to her face, her purse and a tote bag at her feet. 

“Hi,” Kurt says softly, getting to his feet and wrapping his arm around her to pull her inside the room. He pushes the bags to the side enough to close the door. “I know.”

“I thought… I thought maybe you were wrong,” Rachel says, tears starting to fall and stream down her hands. “I thought…”

“He remembers my name,” Kurt says softly. “I don’t know how this happened, Rachel, but we— we got him back.”

“I feel like I’m dreaming. I need you to pinch me, but I’m afraid if you do, I’ll wake up,” Rachel says.

“It’s not a dream, I promise,” Kurt says, leading her over to the bed. “It’s really, truly him.”

“How is he? He has so many wires and tubes all over him!”

“He’s got pneumonia. They’re treating that.” Kurt squeezes Rachel’s shoulders. “Bibi, he wants to come home with us.”

“What about his mom? And your dad?” Rachel asks. She stares down at Finn like she’s afraid if she looks away or blinks, he might disappear. 

“I called Dad. He’ll let Carole know.” Kurt sighs. “I don’t think it’s schizophrenia like the doctors think, but you have to decipher his meaning. He remembers ‘the snow on fire’. That kind of thing.” 

“He remembers the accident,” Rachel says softly, shaking her head. “How did he get to Philadelphia, though? Where has he been for the last two years?”

“I have no idea,” Kurt admits. “I’m concerned he’s been on the streets.”

Finn stirs, his eyes squeezing more tightly closed before opening, looking up at Kurt and Rachel. “Hi,” he says to Kurt. “She’s not my nurse.”

Kurt stifles a laugh and shakes his head. “No, she’s not. This is my best friend. Do you recognize her?”

Finn’s forehead wrinkles he looks at Rachel, leaning up a little to peer at her more closely. “I know her,” he says. Rachel starts crying again, nodding her head.

“That’s right, Finn. You do know me,” Rachel says.

“She’s not sad,” Kurt reassures Finn. “Like I told you, we just missed you a lot. Do you want me to give you the first letter of her name?” Finn nods. “It’s an ‘R’. Her name starts with ‘R’.”

Finn nods again, repeating, “Ruh, ruh, ruh.” He shakes his head. “I don’t remember her name. She’s the girl I love, right?”

Kurt nods, squeezing Rachel’s shoulders again. “Try more like ‘ray’ than ‘ruh’,” he says softly.

“Rachael Ray!” Finn declares. Even though she’s still crying, Rachel giggles. 

“Close,” Kurt says, giggling himself. “Very close.”

Finn looks at Rachel and smiles, the same familiar smile he’d worn earlier when he remembered Kurt’s name. “Your name is Rachel,” he says.

“That’s right,” Rachel says. “My name is Rachel.”

“And his name is Kurt,” Finn continues. “My name is Finn. We live in New York City, and you both love me, and I love both of you.” He glances at Kurt and raises his eyebrows a little. “Right? Is that all right?”

“Yes,” Kurt says, nodding and smiling. “You remembered.” He turns to Rachel, still smiling. “It took a little bit, but we’re going to have what we wanted. Remember?”

Rachel takes Finn’s hand in hers. “We’ll get you home as soon as we can, Finn. You have to get well, then we’ll all go home together.”

“Hopefully we’ll be able to talk to your doctor later today, and find out how soon that is,” Kurt says. “There are two other people coming to see you, but I promise that’s it. We don’t want to overwhelm you.”

Finn nods. “They’re also not my nurse?”

“Exactly. I’d tell you more, but we’ll see what you remember about them first, okay?” Kurt says. 

“Do they know me?” Finn asks.

Kurt nods a little. “Yes, they know you. And you knew them. And Rachel and I will be right here with you.”

Finn looks at Kurt, then Rachel, then back at Kurt. “You’re not going anywhere?” 

“I promise that one or both of us will stay with you,” Kurt says. “Promise.”

“Can both of you hold my hand?” Finn asks. “They’re clean.”

“I’ll stay on this side, and Kurt can sit on the other side,” Rachel suggests. “We’ll hold your hands as long as you need us to.”

“Exactly,” Kurt says, pulling the chair up so Rachel can sit down before going to the other side of the bed and doing the same with the sleeper chair for himself, sitting down and taking Finn’s hand. “We’re here for whatever you need.”

“I need… lunch,” Finn says. “Lunch is what I need.”

“How about we order a pizza?” Kurt says. “And I bought some cards downstairs that let us order a movie. Think you can stay awake for an entire movie, Finn?”

“No,” Finn says.

“Well, we’ll have to pick something with a good opening sequence then,” Kurt decides. “How does the pizza sound?”

“I like pizza.”

“Do you remember what you like on a pizza?” Rachel asks Finn.

“No meat,” Finn says firmly.

“No, that’s what _I_ like on a pizza,” Rachel says. “I don’t eat meat.”

“But you remembered it was important,” Kurt says, shrugging. “Any other important pizza facts you remember?”

Finn’s brow wrinkles in thought. “Veggie lovers?” he suggests. “No onions?”

“That’s mine,” Kurt says with a smile. “Sometimes Canadian bacon, too.”

“That’s all I remember. I think I like every pizza, maybe.”

Kurt laughs. “That’s decently accurate. Do you mind eating our pizzas?” Kurt picks up the small notebook he had noticed earlier, paging through it with one hand until he finds a tab that lists nearby restaurants providing delivery to the hospital.

“I’ll figure out what I like,” Finn says. 

“It’ll be fun,” Kurt agrees with a nod. He ends up ordering three large pizzas, then belatedly realizes that they have to confirm Finn can eat pizza with the nurse. The nurse comes in to change out the IV bags again and tells them that yes, Finn can have pizza if he wants some. The rest of the afternoon and early evening has a surreal quality to it, the three of them eating and watching a movie and sometimes laughing. Finn sleeps off and on, and during one of his naps, Kurt realizes that the surreal part is how it doesn’t feel odd at all, either. Yes, each time Finn wakes up, he has to reorient himself, and yes, there are strange gaps in his knowledge, but like Kurt said to Rachel, they have Finn back. Suddenly and inexplicably, they have him again.


	3. Chapter 3

  
As the afternoon wears on and the pizza is put aside, the three of them all end up on Finn’s bed, carefully avoiding jostling the IV or the cannula, and Kurt notices the sky turning dark outside. Finn’s hospital-provided dinner is brought in and the remains taken away, and Kurt turns to Rachel. 

“It won’t be particularly comfortable, but I’m fine sharing the sleeper chair if you are.”

“It _is_ smaller than the sofa, but it’s not the first time we’ve fallen asleep together,” Rachel says. “I don’t think they’ll let us stay on Finn’s bed.”

Kurt shakes his head. “No, probably not. We’ll get you out of here soon, Finn. And we can spend a week or two letting you try all the food you want, so you can see what you like.”

Another fifteen or so minutes passes before Kurt hears footsteps that don’t sound like medical staff, and after a few seconds, he can recognize his dad’s. He sits up and then slides off the bed. 

“We’re about to have more company,” he says softly.

“But everybody’s already here,” Finn says, sounding confused.

“We’ll just see what you remember,” Kurt says as the footsteps stop in front of Finn’s door. The door slowly swings open, and Kurt makes eye contact with Burt as a Carole-shaped blur rushes to Finn. Carole is crying, leaning over Finn, and Finn looks confused at first, then panicked.

“Ah! Ah! What’s happening?” Finn asks loudly. “What’s happening?”

“Dad!” Kurt hisses quietly. “Get her to give him some space for a moment.”

“Carole. Carole, honey,” Burt says, trying to pull a still-weeping Carole off of Finn. “We all need you to calm down a minute, so we don’t upset Finn.”

“They missed you, too,” Kurt says to Finn, squeezing Finn’s hand. “Can you look and see if you remember them? I can give you letters again if that helps.”

Carole throws her arms around Burt, still crying loudly as she stands there. Burt looks stunned as he wraps his arms around Carole, patting her back gently while she sobs into his shirt. Finn looks a little frightened, reaching for Kurt and Rachel’s hands again.

“Your name is Kurt. Your name is Rachel. My name is Finn,” Finn says. “I don’t know why that lady is crying.”

“Do you recognize her?” Rachel asks. “Does she look familiar?”

“Take your time,” Kurt says calmly. “Take as long as you need.” He sends Burt a look that he hopes conveys that they really need Burt to keep Carole calm for a few more moments at least. Burt keeps patting Carole’s back, murmuring something into her ear. Finally, she nods, wiping her eyes and taking a shuddering breath before turning back around to face Finn, a shaky smile on her face.

“I’m sorry I upset you, Finn,” Carole says, her voice too crisp and too slow, and Kurt has the uncomfortable feeling that she’s talking to Finn like she would a very young child. 

“Rachel and I are staying right here,” Kurt mutters to Finn. “We’re not going anywhere, but it would make this lady very happy if you could try to remember her.”

“She’s not my nurse,” Finn says. “But I know her, right?”

“That’s right,” Rachel tells him.

“You know her from Ohio, not New York,” Kurt adds.

“I was in Ohio,” Finn says. “Lima, like the bean. I had an accident.”

“Yes!” Carole interjects. 

“You were in Ohio,” Kurt agrees. “You were in Lima, Ohio, you had an accident, and then you got lost. And now we found you.”

“The snow really was on fire. My truck burned. I didn’t forget where I parked it.”

“It was on fire.” Kurt nods. “You didn’t forget your truck, Finn.” He can hear Carole gasp a little, but he keeps his eyes on Finn. “And we’re so sorry we didn’t look for you sooner, but we found you now.”

“But I know her,” Finn says, looking in Carole’s direction. “She lives in the house with the cowboys.”

“Your wallpaper!” Carole says. “That’s right, Finn, you had cowboy wallpaper growing up!” She still sounds like she’s speaking to a child, but she’s talking more rapidly than before. 

“Of course,” Kurt says, almost to himself. “Cowboys and big windows.”

“The big windows are in New York,” Finn says, then, “I think— are you my mom?”

Carole gasps again, her hand covering her mouth and fresh tears running down her face as she nods. “Oh, Finn,” she says through her hand. “Oh, I missed you so much!” She pulls away from Burt completely, approaching Finn’s bed more slowly. “Hi, sweetie.”

“You’re my mom. Hi, Mom,” Finn says, giving Carole a cautious smile. 

“Yeah, I am,” Carole agrees, nodding and smiling through her tears. “I can’t believe it’s really you!”

“It’s definitely unexpected,” Kurt says. “She’s not sad either, Finn, even though she’s crying.”

“Okay. I want to go to sleep now,” Finn says.

“You can get some rest,” Rachel says. “I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

“I will be, too,” Kurt promises. “Sleep as much as you need to.” Kurt watches Finn’s face until it relaxes, and he exhales slowly before looking up at Carole and Burt. “Hi, Dad,” he says tiredly. “Hi, Carole.”

“Hey, kid,” Burt says. “How are you and Rachel holding up?”

“He remembers us,” Kurt says. “I don’t understand any of this, but it’s real.”

“How on earth did he end up in Philadelphia of all places!” Carole says, shaking her head. 

“We don’t know. He hasn’t been able to explain, and we’re not pushing him to do anything more than try to remember names right now,” Rachel explains. 

“And pizza,” Kurt says, smiling at Rachel. “He remembers _our_ pizza orders.” 

“He looks so sick,” Carole says, frowning a little. 

“We haven’t gotten to speak to a doctor. I suppose they need confirmation before they can talk to us,” Kurt says, feeling frustrated. Without information from the doctor, they don’t know how long Finn will have to stay in Philadelphia, which makes it harder on all of them to make any plans. 

“I’ll go see what I can do to expedite this,” Burt says. “We’ve got his birth certificate, his Social Security card, a bunch of other paperwork. Carole and I can go talk to an administrator and see about getting some answers sooner rather than later.”

“What about all of that stuff he had in his pockets?” Carole asks. “I looked up the stories online and read them. I don’t understand why he would have some of those things. Maybe we should go through them.”

Kurt exchanges a glance with Rachel. “I don’t know where it is,” Kurt admits. “You could ask about it. Geraldine would probably know, and she’s very helpful.” 

“She’s the case manager?” Burt asks.

“Yes. She’s the one Detective Lumm referred me to,” Kurt says. “Jessica is the social worker, and she was taking care of the fingerprints. I don’t know if they’re still at work, but Geraldine’s voicemail listed an after-hours contact number.” Kurt looks at Finn and smiles. “They’re all very fond of him here.”

“And they made sure to get his story out, obviously,” Carole says, and Kurt notices she’s still crying silently. “Have you two eaten dinner? We’ll go talk to people and bring you dinner.”

“Dinner would be good,” Kurt says. “What sounds good to you, Rachel?”

“Maybe one of those big salads,” Rachel suggests, “to balance out the pizza.”

Kurt nods. “Salad is good. You can add some meat or hard-boiled eggs to mine,” he says. 

“Two big salads,” Carole confirms with a nod. “Okay.” She walks over to Kurt and gives him a large hug. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” Kurt says softly, returning the hug. Carole pulls back and smiles at him, then walks back to Burt as the two of them turn to leave the room. 

Kurt settles back on Finn’s bed, taking Finn’s hand in his left hand and reaching for Rachel with his right hand. Rachel puts her hand in his and squeezes. 

“I think he’ll remember more once he’s out of here,” Kurt says. “He just needs our love and support. And some new clothes, of course.”

“We’ll find him the best doctors in New York, too,” Rachel says. “We’ll help him get better.”

“Yes. And not let them assume it’s schizophrenia.” Kurt snorts. “He needs someone who knows about brain injuries.” Kurt traces his finger over Finn’s scar. “They ignored this completely.”

“That had to have come from the accident. I can’t even imagine how badly he must have been hurt,” Rachel says quietly. She sighs and rests her head on Finn’s shoulder, carefully moving the wires and tubes so she doesn’t pull any of them.

“I still don’t believe in miracles,” Kurt says, even though he know he sounds unconvincing. “I will concede, however, that this is quite the confluence of events.” Kurt squeezes Rachel’s hand. “How long do you think before the media catches on he’s been identified?”

“If we’re lucky, long enough that we can get him out of here first.”

“Fingers crossed,” Kurt says, lying his head on Finn’s opposite shoulder. “We’ll start planning everything we need to plan tomorrow. Love you, Bibi.”

“I love you, too,” Rachel says. “We’ll make everything right again.”

Kurt and Rachel drift off to sleep, waking up when Burt and Carole return with their salads. They pull out the sleeper chair and squish together on it, eating their food and watching another movie while a new nurse comes in to settle Finn for the night. Kurt is surprised at how tired he feels so early, but he remembers from his dad’s hospital stay how early hospitals start to wake up. 

“Let’s get some sleep,” Kurt tells Rachel through a yawn. “We’ll want to get up early and shower and change before Finn wakes up.”

“Are you sure we can’t just kidnap him in the night?” Rachel asks. 

“If he didn’t have the nasal cannula, I would,” Kurt says. “We should probably wait until they take that away.”

“I thought I could smuggle the oxygen tank out under my skirt,” Rachel says.

Kurt laughs. “Maybe tomorrow night,” he concedes, closing his eyes and trying to relax. “Night.”

Kurt wakes up at least three times during the night, and the fourth time, when his phone says it’s past 5:30, he decides to give up on sleep. He takes a very quick shower, puts on the clothes that Rachel brought him, then sits down beside her on the sleeper chair and pokes her shoulder gently. 

“Rachel, shower time,” he whispers.

Rachel sits bolt upright and looks around the room frantically. “Finn?”

“Shh, he’s still asleep,” Kurt says softly. “He’s fine. He’s here. I thought you might want to shower, and then I’ll go find us some coffee.”

“I was afraid I’d woken up in the loft,” Rachel says.

“Still in Philadelphia, at least for a day or two more,” Kurt says, shaking his head. He leans forward and kisses her forehead. “Go freshen up.”

Rachel catches Kurt’s hands and squeezes them. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” 

While Rachel is in the bathroom, Kurt folds the sheets on the sleeper chair, stowing them and the extra pillow away before making the chair back into a chair. That done, he finds the old iPod and speakers and connects the iPod to his computer, transferring some music before setting up the iPod and speakers in the window of Finn’s room. 

“We’ll put some music on later,” Kurt says softly, speaking to himself. He opens the blinds and looks out at Philadelphia. “Some music and some answers and some plans.” Kurt sits down again, picking up Finn’s hand and waiting for Rachel to emerge from the bathroom. 

Rachel has just enough time to get settled before Kurt hears the breakfast cart at the end of the hall and the squeak of the nurse approaching. Kurt shakes his head and gently touches Finn’s shoulder. 

“Morning at the hospital comes early,” he says. “Wake up, Finn.”

“Hi,” Finn says, opening his eyes slowly and looking around the room. “What day is it?”

“Hopefully it’s the day we find out when you’re going home,” Kurt answers. “Breakfast is almost here.”

“Your name is Kurt. Her name is Rachel. My name is Finn,” Finn says, starting his litany of memories. “Home is New York. Lima, like the bean, Ohio. The snow really was on fire. I had an accident. My mom is here.” He smiles at Kurt. “I like pepperoni on my pizza.”

Kurt smiles back. “Yes to all of that. Do you want some coffee? Rachel and I need some, so I’m going to go buy some in a few minutes.”

“Do I like coffee?”

“You didn’t two years ago,” Kurt admits. “Should I get you a small cup so you can try it?”

Finn nods. “Okay. What do I like in coffee?”

“I’ll bring some sugar packets and some cream,” Kurt decides. He leans over and kisses Finn’s forehead, then Rachel’s. “I’ll be right back. If a doctor comes while I’m gone, don’t let him leave!”

“I won’t, don’t worry,” Rachel says. “We’ll be here waiting for you!”

Kurt finds a coffee cart in the lobby and buys two large coffees along with one small one and an extra cup, so Finn can experiment with the sugar and cream. He stops at a second cart for a variety of breakfast sandwiches, then heads back up the elevator. When he gets back to the room, Finn is mostly ignoring the hospital breakfast, talking about something with Rachel.

“Better breakfast and coffee!” Kurt announces.

“Thank you!” Rachel says, plucking one of the large cups out of Kurt’s hand as soon as he gets close enough. “Finn and I were just talking about something else he remembers.”

“I danced with you,” Finn tells Kurt, seeming almost smug about it. “I danced with you _and_ I danced with Rachel. I sang you songs, too.”

Kurt nods and smiles at Finn as he starts unwrapping the sandwiches. “Yes, you did. Do you remember any of the songs, or where? I have some music for you to listen to later.” 

“I was wearing a suit,” Finn says.

“A tuxedo,” Rachel prompts.

“Yeah, a tuxedo,” Finn agrees. “It was a… wedding? Was it my wedding?”

“It was a wedding, yes,” Kurt says, nodding. “Vegetarian for you, Bibi,” he says, handing her one of the breakfast sandwiches. “But not your wedding, Finn.”

“Was it your wedding?” Finn asks, seeming to address both Rachel and Kurt. Rachel giggles and takes a bite of her breakfast sandwich. 

“No,” Kurt says, shaking his head slowly. “None of us were getting married.” 

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Finn says.

Rachel giggles again. “You should try your coffee, Finn. We can worry about weddings later.”

“Okay. I still think it’s too bad, though,” Finn says, picking up the small cup of coffee and sniffing it. “It smells good.”

“I brought you an empty cup so you could add sugar or cream to just part of it,” Kurt explains. “And you’re only twenty-one, Finn. Plenty of time for weddings.”

Finn takes a small sip of his coffee and grimaces. “That’s really bad.”

Kurt takes the coffee from him and splits it between the two cups, then hands Finn one of the cups and some sugar packets. “Here, try making it sweeter.”

Finn struggles with the sugar packets, but finally gets one of them open and dumps it into the coffee. Kurt picks up a stir stick and stirs the sugar into the coffee before handing the cup to Finn. Finn takes another sip, grimacing less.

“I’m not sure I like coffee,” Finn says.

“That’s consistent, at least,” Kurt says with a small laugh. “Do you want to try some cream?” He offers a few of the cream containers as he can hear what he assumes is Burt and Carole approaching. Finn takes the cream and pours it into his coffee, waiting for Kurt to stir it for him before trying it again. 

“Knock, knock,” Burt calls out softly as he pushes the door open. “Everybody awake in here.”

“We’re having some breakfast,” Rachel answers. “Finn is trying to decide if he likes coffee.”

“I don’t think I do,” Finn says.

“Well, we can find other ways to give you caffeine,” Kurt jokes as he stirs Finn’s coffee with cream. “Good morning,” he adds, turning to nod at Burt and Carole. 

“Good morning!” Carole says. “Have any doctors been by yet?”

“No,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “I suspect they’ll be here soon, though.”

“I saw my nurse,” Finn says. “Hi. You’re my mom. Hi, Mom!”

“Hi, Finn,” Carole says, waving and moving closer to Finn’s bed. “So you don’t like coffee?”

“No. It’s not very good.”

“He tried sugar and cream, too, so he knows what he’s talking about,” Rachel says, smiling over her own cup of coffee.

“Oh, well, not everyone likes coffee,” Carole says with a little shrug. “How are you feeling, sweetie? Did you sleep well?”

“Better than I did,” Kurt says ruefully.

“I think I did,” Finn says. “They keep putting this stuff in my IV that makes me tired. I remember I danced, though.”

“You _danced_?” Carole parrots back. “You remember dancing?”

“In a tuxedo. It was somebody’s wedding, but not mine. Not Rachel’s or Kurt’s either.”

“Oh!” Carole looks over at Burt. “He remembers dancing at the wedding!”

“He remembers dancing with both Rachel and me,” Kurt says. “Do we have any progress on when Finn can go home, or do we need to wait for the doctor?”

Burt says, “We’ve spoken with Finn’s case manager—”

“I love Geraldine!” Finn interjects.

“Yes, we’ve spoken with Geraldine, with a few of the nurses who have been assigned to Finn, and one of the staff psychiatrists about getting some more tests run,” Burt says. “We haven’t talked to the attending physician yet, but we’re all supposed to have a sit-down at three.”

“So we should find out something today,” Kurt says, nodding a little. “I know you’ll be glad to leave, Finn.” 

“I’ll take some time off work once we get back to Lima,” Carole says. “And of course whatever time you and Rachel can spare, Kurt.”

“I live in New York,” Finn says, which sounds more like a statement of fact than like he’s arguing with Carole. 

Carole frowns. “Finn, you’ll come back to Lima with me. That’s your home.” 

“Finn has been quite insistent about New York,” Kurt says mildly.

“Yeah, I live in New York,” Finn repeats. “With the big windows.”

“Finn, son—” Burt begins, but Finn interrupts him again. 

“You’re not my dad,” Finn says, in the same matter-of-fact tone. “Your name is Burt.”

“That’s right,” Kurt tells him. “His name is Burt. Do you remember anything else about him?” He shoots Burt a look, imploring him to stay quiet for a moment. 

“He has a hat,” Finn says. “He does something with wheels.”

“That’s so good, Finn,” Rachel tells him, holding his hand in both of hers.

“He’s a mechanic, yes,” Kurt confirms. 

Finn smiles his old smile and quickly rattles off, “‘Rolling out the value at Hummel Tires and Lube’, right?”

Kurt laughs out loud and nods. “That’s exactly right, Finn.”

“Don’t forget to change the air filter,” Finn adds.

“That’s right, kid, don’t forget that,” Burt agrees. “Now, Finn, I know you want to go to New York, but that’s not where you were living before. Your home is in Lima, with me and your mom.”

“Kurt and Rachel live in New York City,” Finn says.

“That’s true,” Burt concedes, “but that doesn’t mean—”

“Kurt and Rachel live in New York City,” Finn repeats, louder this time. “I live in New York.”

“We’re prepared to take him home with us, Dad,” Kurt says. “Okay, not physically prepared in terms of moving furniture yet, but we’re mentally prepared.”

“Kurt, you don’t know what you’re saying,” Burt counters. “I know you’re glad to have him back. We all are. You have no idea what kind of long term care he’s going to need, though. He needs to be at home with his mother.”

“Home is in New York. I live in New York. Kurt and Rachel live in New York, and I live in New York with Rachel and Kurt,” Finn insists, sounding more and more agitated. He starts shoving the blankets and trying to sit up more, pulling on the wires and tubes coming off of him. 

“It’s alright, Finn,” Rachel says. She manages to keep her tone soothing, even though her eyes are brimming with tears as she looks across Finn at Kurt. “You don’t have to get upset about this right now. We’ll figure it out.”

“It’s okay,” Kurt whispers, glaring a little at Burt. “We’ll make sure they understand, Finn, I promise. We promised you, remember?”

“I live in New York,” Finn says one more time, yanking his IV line and pulling it out of his arm. “There was a needle in my arm!”

Kurt sees Rachel subtly press the call button for the nurse. “We know, Finn, we know,” Kurt says, a little louder, and he stares at Burt and Carole again. “Say something!” he hisses. 

“Of course we want you to be living where you choose eventually,” Carole says. “We want you to be happy. But I just missed you so much, sweetie, and I want to help you get better.”

“I _am_ better!” Finn insists. “I remember everything! I know everybody’s names!”

“Mr. Hudson?” the nurse’s voice says, then she appears, walking towards the bed. “Oh, we need to get your IV back in.” She looks closely at Finn, then around the room. “Did something upset you?”

“That’s my nurse,” Finn says, still addressing Carole. “See? I know who everybody is. You’re my nurse,” he says to the nurse. 

“Yes, I am,” the nurse agrees. 

“Finn, will you let the nurse put your IV back in? The sooner you get rid of the pneumonia, the sooner we can— the better,” Kurt says, cutting himself off from saying ‘go home’. 

“I _am_ better,” Finn says, looking at Kurt now. 

“Finn, please let the nurse put your IV in again,” Rachel says. “I want you all the way better, so you don’t have to wear this anymore.” She touches her fingertip to the nasal cannula tube.

“Okay,” Finn says, relaxing again. “But I’m not going to Ohio, okay?”

“We know,” Kurt whispers, patting Finn’s shoulder as the nurse reinserts the IV and then checks all of the bags. “Rachel and I understand. We promised.” 

“Son, you had no right to make him any kind of promise,” Burt says quietly as he takes a step closer to Kurt. “We don’t even know yet what kind of care he’ll need.”

“I’m quite sure that whatever it is, the odds of finding it in New York are far greater,” Kurt says dryly. “He needed— _needs_ —to know he’s not going to be alone again.” Kurt turns back to Finn, watching his eyelids flicker, and Kurt assumes that the nurse gave him some kind of sleeping aid. 

“This whole discussion may be moot,” Rachel says, patting Finn’s arm. “If the psychiatrist evaluates Finn, he might sign off on Finn being well enough to make his own decision about where to live and seek further treatment.”

“That doesn’t seem like the best idea,” Carole says uncertainly. 

“He’s twenty-one years old,” Kurt points out. “If the psychiatrist thinks he’s mentally competent, he _should_ make his own decisions.”

“We can come back to it later, I suppose,” Carole says with a sigh, moving closer to Finn’s bed and running her hand through his hair. “I still can’t believe he’s here.”

“Did you want to have some time alone with him?” Rachel offers. “Kurt and I both have some calls we need to make, but we wouldn’t want to leave him without someone in here.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose there are a lot of phone calls,” Carole says as she nods. “I’ll let you know if he wakes up.”

Kurt stands and picks up both his and Rachel’s phones before offering Rachel his other hand. “Come on, Bibi,” he says. “We’ll use speakerphone for them.”

Rachel clutches Kurt’s hand tightly, putting her other hand on his arm as they walk out of the room. “What are we going to do if they won’t let us take Finn back to New York?” she asks. 

“Is it kidnapping if he comes voluntarily?” Kurt asks, leading her down the hall to the lounge. “Don’t think that way, Rachel. We’ll bring him home with us. Should we call Mr. Schuester first?” 

“He’s not going to believe us. We should have taken some pictures,” Rachel says. “I’m not sure I would have believed it, if it had been anyone but you who told me.”

“At least it will prepare him for when it inevitably hits the news,” Kurt says, pulling up the browser on his phone. “Surely he’ll realize we wouldn’t call him during the school day otherwise, and yes, I am very glad you saved that note with the name of his new school.” Kurt finds the main number for Mr. Schuester’s new school in Indiana, thinking that he’ll probably always consider it the ‘new’ school. When the receptionist answers, Kurt takes a deep breath. “William Schuester, please. It’s urgent.” He clicks the speakerphone on and looks at Rachel. “Here we go.”

It takes over five minutes before the hold Muzak is replaced by Mr. Schuester’s voice. “Hello? Emma? Is something wrong with the baby?”

“Oh, no, it’s not Emma,” Kurt says, making a face at Rachel. “It’s, um. This is Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry.”

“Hello, Mr. Schuester!” Rachel says. 

“Oh, hi!” Mr. Schuester says, sounding very confused. “I would have recognized your voices without the last names, you know. Is something wrong? I was told it was urgent.”

Kurt takes a deep breath. “We wanted to get in touch with you before the story hits the news,” he begins. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the stories about the John Doe in Philadelphia?”

“Emma mentioned something about a sad story on the East Coast, a man with weird things in his pockets but no identification?” If anything, Mr. Schuester sounds more confused. “Why?”

“It’s— well, there was a mistake made. Two years ago,” Kurt says softly, and inexplicably, he starts crying, squeezing Rachel’s hand.

“Mr. Schuester, Finn didn’t die in a car accident two years ago,” Rachel says, her eyes also starting to well with tears. “He’s alive and in a hospital in Philadelphia. We’re here with him. Me, Kurt, Burt, and Carole.”

“That’s impossible,” Mr. Schuester says disbelievingly. “I wish what you’re saying was true, you know I do, but Kurt, Rachel, that’s— that’s not possible.”

“It is,” Kurt manages to say. “He remembers our names. He remembers the slogan for Dad’s shop.”

“He remembers the dancing, of all of the things for him to hold onto,” Rachel says. 

“Well.” Mr. Schuester’s voice changes, sounding almost forced. “I appreciate the two of you letting me know. I have to go back to class now, but you can, uh, keep me posted, okay?”

“Of course,” Kurt says slowly, exchanging a look with Rachel. 

“Give our love to Ms. Schuester and the baby,” Rachel adds.

“I will. Bye,” Mr. Schuester says, then ends the call. 

Kurt sighs and looks at Rachel. “I don’t think he believed us.”

“He’ll come around when he sees it on the news,” Rachel says. “And if not, we’ll just fly to Indiana ourselves. All three of us.”

Kurt laughs. “Finn might not want to go to Indiana either.” He shakes his head. “I admit, I don’t have Puck’s number on my phone.”

“I have Quinn’s, though,” Rachel says. “It was in the announcement.”

“Wedding?” Kurt asks.

“No. Birth.” Rachel smiles bashfully. “You said you didn’t want to know.”

“Boy or girl?” Kurt asks curiously. “When?”

“A little boy. I only got the announcement a couple of weeks ago, so I don’t think he’s more than six weeks or so,” Rachel says. “They named him Knox.”

“Knox Puckerman?” Kurt repeats. “Oh my. What’s the time difference? It’s not too late in Germany, is it?”

“Five or six hours, I think?”

“Oh, okay. Well. Let’s call, then,” Kurt says gamely.

“Maybe we _should_ go back in and take a picture,” Rachel says as she scrolls to Quinn’s number.

“Quinn will believe me, and Puck will believe you,” Kurt points out. “But we can send them a picture later. Maybe one with him awake.”

Rachel takes a deep breath and taps Quinn’s number, then switches the phone to speaker. The first thing they hear when Quinn picks up is the sound of a baby crying, then Quinn’s voice, sounding tired.

“Rachel? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you!” Quinn says, shushing the baby, who abruptly stops crying. “You got the announcement?”

“I did, and I wish I could be a better friend and say I’m just calling to congratulate you,” Rachel says. 

“If Puck is around, you should probably get him,” Kurt interjects. “Hi.”

“Oh god!” Quinn says, suddenly sounding panicked. “What’s wrong? Who is it this time?”

“No, no!” Kurt hurries to say. “It’s good news, I promise. It’s just very startling.”

“Puck, can you come in here please?” Quinn calls out. Puck says something in response, but he’s too far away from the phone for it to be discernable. 

“What’s up?” Puck’s voice suddenly says much louder. “Hey, little man. Who’s on the phone?”

“Noah! It’s so good to hear your voice,” Rachel says. 

“Rachel?” Puck says, sounding surprised. 

“And Kurt,” Kurt adds. “We couldn’t be so lucky as to find out the two of you track human interest stories back here in the States, do you?”

“No,” Quinn says warily. “Why?”

“This is going to sound crazy no matter how I say it,” Kurt says, “so I might as well not try to talk around it. Two years ago, some kind of mistake was made. There was a John Doe in the hospital in Philadelphia with no identification and strange objects in his pockets, and we don’t know how he got here, but— it’s Finn. He’s alive.”

“It’s true,” Rachel adds. “We’ve been with him for the past day. Burt and Carole are in with him right now. He’s got pneumonia and some problems with his memory, but it’s him.”

“I can’t believe it,” Quinn says softly. “How? How did they make such a huge mistake?”

“If this is some kind of joke—” Puck starts before breaking off, and Kurt can hear what he’s certain is very quiet crying. 

“It’s not a joke, I assure you,” Kurt says gently. “Based on what Finn has told us, I think he was thrown from the truck during the accident. He has a scar across his forehead that wasn’t there before. He remembers things, though.” Kurt laughs a little. “He remembers the dancing! Not so much the singing, but the dancing.”

“We’re still not sure why he wasn’t brought into the hospital and identified after the accident,” Rachel explains. “And we don’t know how he made it to Philadelphia. We just know he’s alive.”

“We wanted you to know before it becomes its own news story,” Kurt says. “We’re not even sure right now when he’ll be able to leave the hospital here in Philadelphia.”

“Will you keep us updated?” Quinn asks. “Any change, anything new you learn, anything you need from us.”

“Yeah, anything,” Puck echoes. “We can’t really travel right now, but maybe in a few months.” 

“Of course,” Kurt says. “And, um. I am sorry,” he says softly. “I was unnecessarily harsh.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Puck says. “Already forgotten.”

“We’re just so happy you found him. We’re so happy he’s alive,” Quinn says. 

“So are we,” Rachel says. “And congratulations on your son. He’s beautiful. I saved the announcement.”

“Yes, congratulations,” Kurt says. “I hope you can visit soon.”

“Send us a picture?” Puck asks. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but… okay, I kinda still want to see some proof.”

“Once he’s awake,” Rachel promises. 

“Thanks,” Puck says. “Just, thanks.” 

“We’ll be in touch,” Kurt says, then nods at Rachel. 

“We love you,” Rachel says. 

“We love you back,” Quinn replies. “Thank you, Rachel, Kurt.”

“You’re welcome,” Kurt says.


	4. Chapter 4

  
As Rachel ends the call, she looks up at Kurt. “Who’s next?”

“I suppose we should let the others in New York know,” Kurt says. “Blaine, Sam, Santana? Surely the others will forgive us for not calling.”

“Do you want me to call Blaine and ask him to pass the information along?” Rachel asks.

“Maybe that would be best,” Kurt agrees with a nod. “He’ll have all the numbers and contact information that, frankly, I don’t think either of us have.”

“Finn’s awake,” Burt says from behind Kurt. 

Kurt jumps. “Dad, you scared me,” he says, then stands, offering his arm to Rachel. “We got a few calls made.”

“Everything squared away with your work and school?” Burt asks.

“We didn’t quite get to those calls,” Rachel says. “We spoke to Mr. Schuester, and to Quinn and Puck. Those seemed like the most important calls to start with.”

“They didn’t need to find out from a news headline,” Kurt says. “We’re pretty sure Mr. Schuester didn’t believe us, though. Puck just wants a picture.”

“That’s understandable. I’m still not sure I believe it all myself,” Burt says. “I keep expecting somebody to tell me that no, there’s been a mistake, and that’s not really Finn.”

“How’s Carole doing?” Rachel asks.

“She’s holding up pretty well. It’s killing her that she can’t just take him home with her,” Burt says. “She had a hard time with it when I first told her.”

“Rachel dropped her phone, and at least she knew I was checking into it,” Kurt says as they approach Finn’s room. Kurt squeezes Rachel’s hand and smiles at her before they enter. “We’re back, Finn.”

“Hi, Kurt. Hi, Rachel,” Finn says. “Hi, Burt.”

Kurt nods at Carole, sitting in the chair very close to the bed. “We talked to some other people who know you, Finn. If you want, we could look at pictures in a few minutes?”

Finn’s forehead wrinkles and he looks confused. “Everybody I know is here.”

Rachel sits down on the bed next to Finn, taking his hand in hers. “You have so many friends who are going to be so happy to hear that you’re doing so well,” she tells him. “Remember, you thought everyone you know was here when it was just me and Kurt, but then Burt and your mom came.”

“And I know them. I remember them,” Finn says.

“Exactly!” Rachel says. “And you’ll remember the other people, too, when you have a chance to think about it.”

“There’s been a few babies born in the last two years, though,” Kurt says with a smile, picking up one of the Thunderclaps he brought with him to Philadelphia. “We don’t expect you to remember them, just meet them eventually.”

Finn’s eyes light up momentarily, then he looks slightly confused again. “I think I know a baby. Do I? I remember a baby.”

“Was her name Beth?” Rachel asks gently.

“Yes! I remember a baby named Beth,” Finn says. “I remember— oh. Where’s Puck?”

Kurt laughs happily. “We talked to Puck on the phone. He’s in Germany, but he says they’ll try to come visit you in a few months.” Kurt sits down in the sleeper chair, yearbook in his lap. “Puck is one of the ones who has a baby now, but not Beth. Beth is… almost five now, I suppose.”

“Beth is a _baby_ ,” Finn says. “I saw her. She was still really little.”

“Finn, sweetheart, that was years ago,” Rachel says. “Puck has a new baby now, a little boy.”

“Puck also wants a picture of you,” Kurt says. “Maybe we could take a picture and send it, and he’ll send you back a picture of his little boy.”

“Will they come and visit?” Finn asks.

“In a few months,” Kurt says, getting his phone ready to take a picture. “Puck’s in the Air Force now, so he has to be approved for leave. Are you ready for me to take the picture?”

“The Air Force?” Finn repeats, sounding confused.

“Do you want Kurt in the picture with you?” Rachel asks. 

“Or Rachel?” Kurt offers.

“Both of you,” Finn says.

“Okay,” Kurt says, handing his phone to Burt. “If you don’t mind?”

“Of course not,” Burt says. He steps to the foot of the bed, waiting for the three of them to rearrange themselves. Kurt slides onto the bed opposite Rachel, gently nudging Finn’s arm. 

“Smile!” he tells Finn. Finn looks at Kurt and smiles. “At the camera, not me,” Kurt says. “That way the picture will show your face.”

Finn looks at Burt, smiling again, though also looking a little confused or possibly overwhelmed. Burt snaps several pictures before letting his hand drop again, offering the phone back to Kurt. 

“I think those turned out alright, but you’d better double-check,” Burt says. 

“We look pretty good,” Kurt agrees, flipping through the pictures. “And Puck sent an email to make sure we had his phone number, which will make it easy to send these.” Kurt looks up at Finn and smiles. “Do you want us to have a copy printed out? We could put it in the window.” 

“A copy?” Finn asks.

“One you can look at without my phone,” Kurt says. “Like these.” He reaches into the drawer of the little table and pulls out a few pictures. “See, this is you and me and Rachel a few years ago, this is you and your mom, and you already mentioned the name of this person who’s with you.” Kurt hands Finn all three photos, the one of Finn and Puck during junior year on top. 

“Puck?” Finn says, a little uncertainly.

“Yes,” Kurt says with a smile. “That’s you and Puck, our junior year in high school. He doesn’t have a mohawk anymore, though.

Finn stares down at the pictures for a long time before he says anything else. "Was I lost for a long time?" he finally asks.

“For two years,” Kurt says. “Puck really missed you, too. I’m sure he’ll visit as soon as he can. I’m sorry you missed his wedding.”

"Did everybody forget me, too?" Finn asks.

"Nobody did," Rachel says. "Nobody could forget you, Finn. You're so special to everyone."

“Exactly. We didn’t forget. No one did. We just didn’t know you were lost, Finn.”

"I don't know if I knew I was lost," Finn says. "I missed you, though. I missed you and Rachel. I just didn't know who I was missing, maybe?"

“We all found each other,” Kurt says, then looks up, feeling slightly annoyed as he hears the door being pushed open. 

“Hello,” a man in a white coat says. “Mr. Hudson, it’s good to have a last name to use with you. This must be your family.”

Finn stares suspiciously at the white-coated man, but he nods. Rachel reaches across Finn to put her free hand on top of Kurt's, protectively encircling Finn in their arms.

“Yes, we are,” Carole says, nodding. 

“I just wanted to let everyone know about the tests we’ll be running on Finn here,” the doctor says. Kurt can’t read the name from the distance he’s at, but he can recognize the abbreviation. “We’ll be doing a CT scan and an MRI. We have an open MRI here at Jefferson, Finn, which our patients all seem to prefer.”

“How many people can accompany him?” Kurt asks. 

“Of course we can’t have anyone else in the room during the operation of the scans,” the doctor says, “but there’s no reason that one of you can’t wait in an adjoining room. And of course Finn can have some music.” 

“We’ll switch out,” Kurt says to Rachel.

"Shouldn't Carole or I go with him?" Burt says. 

“You and I can talk when Rachel goes,” Kurt says. “We told Finn that one of us would stay with him, and that’s what we intend to do.”

"I think he feels safer when we're with him," Rachel says. "Is that what you want, Finn? Me or Kurt to stay with you?"

Finn nods his head vigorously. "Can both of you stay with me?" he asks.

“The one of us who can’t stay will walk with you to the place where they run the tests, okay?” Kurt offers. “Hospitals have a lot of rules, and sometimes it’s easier not to argue.”

"Okay," Finn says. "I won't argue. I just want both of you to come with me."

"Kurt is going to come back and sit with your mom while I go with you," Rachel says, talking to Finn in a low, soothing voice. "He'll make sure your mom understands how much you can remember. Won't that be nice, for her to know all of that?"

Finn appears to think it over briefly before he nods. "I love you, Rachel," he says.

"I know you do," she replies. "We all love you very much, and we just want to make sure we know how to help you get all the way better."

"I love Kurt, too," Finn says.

"I know. Kurt knows, too," Rachel says. "Don't you, Kurt?"

“I do,” Kurt agrees. “And I love you, Finn.” He smiles at Finn and Rachel. “You too, Bibi.”

"Her name is Rachel," Finn says. "Remember?"

“It is,” Kurt says. “Bibi is a nickname I call her. After the doctor leaves, I’ll tell you why.”

"I'll give you a hint, though," Rachel whispers, leaning in conspiratorially. "Don't rain on my parade."

"That's a song!" Finn says. "You sang that song. You were so beautiful."

“Yes, she was, and she did sing it,” Kurt says. “Shh for a second.”

The doctor smiles at the three of them on the bed. “Someone will come to transport Finn for the CT scan right after lunch,” he says, “and for the MRI about an hour later. I’ll see everyone again at three.”

While Burt and Carole say thank you to the doctor, Kurt turns back to Finn. “So you remember ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’. It’s from a musical, and it was made famous by a woman named Barbra Streisand. The short version of the story is that I call Rachel ‘Bibi’ for ‘baby Barbra’.” He smiles at Rachel again. “You can tell him the long version.”

"We can talk about it when they come to take you for the CT scan," Rachel says. "But I was in the musical that 'Don't Rain on My Parade' comes from. Do you remember when I auditioned?"

"You're on Broadway," Finn says. "You're a star."

"I was on Broadway. Not right now, though," Rachel says. "I am between engagements, as they say."

"Because you don't have a ring?" Finn asks.

"No. I mean, I don't have an engagement ring, that's true," Rachel says.

“The things you had, Finn,” Kurt says in a whisper. “Do you know where they are?” He presses his lips together, not sure if he wants to laugh or cry, because in the list of things Finn was found with, he does remember one of them was a ring. 

"I lost my things!" Finn says, suddenly distressed. "I need to find them! They're important!"

“We’ll get them,” Kurt says. “I know they’re important. You were trying to remember important things, weren’t you?” A little laugh escapes. “Rachel, one of the things the news mentioned was a ticket stub. I didn’t think about it. For the Eagles versus the _Titans_.”

"Oh!" Rachel's hand flies to her mouth. 

“Remember when you mentioned football, Finn?” Kurt asks. “The name of the team was the Titans. That was very smart.”

"We were the Titans. We wore red," Finn says. "We…" He starts to laugh, the sound thinner than the old laugh Kurt remembers. "I think I'm mixing things up."

"What are you mixing up?" Rachel asks. "What do you remember?"

"More dancing. I think I'm mixed up."

Kurt laughs. “No, you’re not mixed up.” He lifts his hand and wiggles it. “Did you dance like this to a song about single ladies? Is that what you remember?”

Finn raises his hand and flips it front to back. "Put a ring on it?"

“Yes. You’re definitely not mixing things up. That really happened,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “That’s going to follow me forever, isn’t it?”

"Do you have a ring?" Finn asks.

“No, I don’t,” Kurt says. 

"Do you have a ring?" Finn asks, addressing Rachel this time.

"No, neither of us have rings," Rachel says.

“Are rings important to you?” Kurt asks softly. 

Finn nods. "If you like it. Don't I like it?"

“Oh, Finn.” Kurt sighs and looks over at Carole and Burt. “We’ll talk more about it later, okay?”

"Did I remember it wrong?" Finn asks sadly. "I have to remember things right so we can go home to New York."

“You didn’t remember anything wrong,” Kurt assures him. “I’d just like to get your things back first, okay? That’s all.” 

Finn nods, then seems to be thinking something over, his brow wrinkling. "Do you love Rachel?" he asks. "Is it bad you found me because of that?"

"Oh, Finn," Rachel says softly, putting her head on his shoulder.

“I love you both,” Kurt says. “It’s not bad we found you at all. All I wanted for a very long time was to be in New York with both of you.”

"I love you," Finn says. "I love you both so much. I want to go home now, home with you."

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt can see Carole and Burt turning to give them all surprised looks, and Kurt deliberately turns his head more towards Finn. He’s sure he’ll have to answer some questions, but interrogating them now would only upset Finn. “I know. We’ll make sure you have music that might help you remember better, so your tests come out as well as they possibly can,” Kurt tells Finn. 

“What music do I like?” Finn asks. 

“Well, we have some classic rock, and some songs that were popular when we were in high school,” Kurt says. “I think you’ll probably remember some of the music quite easily.”

“Okay,” Finn says. “Thanks.”

“Do you want to take another nap?” Kurt asks. “We can find your things and you can nap, and then we’ll all have lunch.”

“Okay. I’ll take another nap,” Finn says, closing his eyes. 

“Sleep well,” Kurt says, patting Finn’s shoulder and then looking up at Rachel. 

“Should I stay with Finn while you try to find where his things went?” Rachel asks quietly.

Kurt nods. “It’s clear his brain was trying really hard to communicate. It’s just different than it was.” He smiles sadly. “He did so well. It was so smart, really.”

“He is smart, just not in the same way as some people expect,” Rachel says. 

“Yes, exactly.” Kurt squeezes Finn’s hand and then Rachel’s before standing up and turning to Burt. “Did you find out last night where his things were taken, or should I call Geraldine?”

“Geraldine submitted the form to have Finn’s belongings released to us,” Burt says. “We should be able to ask at the nurse’s station, but if they’re not there yet, Geraldine said to call.”

“I’ll go check, then,” Kurt says, picking up his phone and then leaving the room. “We should send Geraldine flowers every year,” he mutters to himself. “Maybe on Finn’s birthday.” He stops at the nurse’s station and takes a deep breath before smiling. “Excuse me?”

The nurse looks up at Kurt. “Yes, can I help you, sir?” 

“Yes, I wanted to see if Finn Hudson’s belongings are here,” Kurt says. 

“Can I see your ID? If you’re on the list, I can release the bag to you.”

“Sure.” Kurt pulls out his driver’s license, which Burt has insisted he should maintain, despite not driving in New York, and hands it over the counter. The nurse quickly compares it to something on the computer screen to her right, then nods and opens a large drawer, pulling out a slightly-larger-than-gallon-sized plastic bag.

“You might want to move this stuff into a different container,” the nurse suggests. “We’ve had a few people in here trying to get pictures.”

“We’ll make sure it’s kept in his room,” Kurt says, taking the bag. “Thank you.”

“We’re all really happy he was identified,” the nurse says. 

Kurt smiles, then frowns. “Have there been reporters around? Since yesterday, I mean?”

“There’s a reporter from WCAW who checks in every day. We’ve managed to respond vaguely enough the last two times he called.”

“Okay, thank you.” Kurt nods and smiles a final time, heading back down the hall to Finn’s room with the bag. When he gets back, he closes the door firmly and walks over to Burt. “I think we should consider some kind of announcement tomorrow, before one of the tabloid shows or sites breaks the story.”

“I’ll ask Elizabeth to get something together,” Burt says. “Is that the stuff?”

“Yes.” Kurt nods. “I think there’s a story here.” He goes back over to the bed and Rachel. “Ready to decipher things?” he asks her, sitting down in the sleeper chair and smoothing out part of the blanket near Finn’s legs. 

“Ready to try,” Rachel says, carefully unwrapping her arms from around Finn’s arm so she can sit up. 

“I think Burt and I will go get some lunch for the four of us while you do that,” Carole says, and when Kurt glances at her, she has a pained look on her face, like the presence of Finn’s things is bothering her. “Don’t worry, Rachel, we’ll find something without meat for you.” 

“We appreciate it,” Kurt says with a small nod. He waits until Burt and Carole have left the room before carefully opening the plastic bag. “First of all,” he says, poking around until he finds the ticket stub, “we have the ticket stub. Titans.” He places it on the bed. “So let’s see.” He reaches in again, this time pulling out a small wooden train piece, and he holds it up.

“Thomas the Tank Engine?” Rachel says, narrowing her eyes as she looks more closely at the train.

“We don’t know anyone named Thomas, do we?” Kurt asks. 

“Not that I’m aware of. Could Finn have met a Thomas since the accident? Or maybe he knew one at the University of Lima?”

“Maybe.” Kurt studies the train piece more closely. “This isn’t an actual Thomas the Tank Engine, though, is it? It’s like a generic train.”

“Train!” Rachel exclaims. “Kurt, what did Finn last have to do with a train?”

Kurt gasps. “He put you on a train to New York!”

“Maybe I’m reading too much into it?”

“No, no, he remembered the big windows.” Kurt puts the train down carefully and reaches back into the bag, this time pulling out a stack of papers tied with a ribbon, and Kurt realizes almost immediately they’re covers of programs from musicals. “Musicals, Bibi.” Kurt hands Rachel the stack.

“Do you think he went to all of these?” Rachel asks, as she unties the ribbon and starts looking through the covers. “ _Gypsy_ , _Wicked_ , this one is pretty faded, but it looks like maybe _West Side Story_.” She sifts through a few more. “A midnight showing of _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_?”

“Oh, he remembered things,” Kurt says, not sure if he wants to laugh or cry or both. “Just in a very strange way that few people had the context for. I’m almost surprised he doesn’t have an ad for something like _The Walking Dead_ in there.”

“ _Wonderful Town_ ,” Rachel says, holding up the next one. “Look at the cover.”

“Ohio to New York,” Kurt says softly. “I’m starting to see a pattern here.”

“Do you think…” Rachel hums to herself and shakes her head. “I think he was trying to get to New York. I think that’s how he ended up in Philadelphia.”

“Do you think he _walked_ the entire way? It would explain the state of his feet, I suppose.” Kurt sighs. “Poor Finn. He was trying so hard.” Kurt looks back in the bag and shakes his head. “There’s a bunch of… glitter confetti? I don’t know that I want to try to remove it from the bag, but… glitter? confetti?”

“Maybe it reminded him of the wedding?” Rachel says dubiously. 

“The wedding.” Kurt frowns, staring at the bag. “He remembers a lot surrounding that, doesn’t he? Wearing a suit, dancing…” Kurt reaches in the bag and pulls out one of the pieces of confetti. “It’s shaped like a bird.” Kurt can feel his eyes widen. “It’s a bird, Rachel. I told him— I told him it was okay to release doves because—” Kurt breaks off and laughs. “‘That’s why we feed them glitter’.”

“He remembered you saying that? But that was years ago!”

“I don’t understand all of it,” Kurt admits. “But I do remember that conversation.” He slips his hand back into the bag, closing it around a ring box and then carefully handing it to Rachel. “This, I believe, is yours.”

“Oh!” Rachel says, as she slowly opens the box. “He kept it. How did he keep it? Wouldn’t it have been with things in the dorm or at the house?”

“He had to have had it with him for some reason,” Kurt says slowly. “I don’t know why, but that’s the only way I can think of him having it.”

“I don’t understand. Why would he have been carrying this around with him in Ohio?”

“I don’t know. He may not know, either, not anymore,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “Let’s see what else is here.” There are several newspaper articles and pages from magazines, all folded into an envelope, but as Kurt spreads them out, he can’t discern a pattern. “Maybe there was just a sentence in each of these?”

Rachel leans in to look at some of them. “This one’s from a women’s magazine. Nothing to do with anything I would equate with Finn.”

“No, neither would I.” Kurt picks up one of the newspaper articles. “This looks like part of a sports page? Oh! Hockey. _Puck_ skills.”

“How funny!” Rachel says, smiling down at the newspaper. “We should take a picture of that for Puck, so he knows how important he was to Finn, even when Finn couldn’t remember.”

“Good idea,” Kurt agrees, pulling out his phone and snapping a picture before either of them can forget. “So most of these may just be one word. I don’t think we really need all of them to add to our picture, though, do you?” he says as he types out a quick message to send along with the picture to Puck. 

“Probably not. Finn might not even remember why he kept them,” Rachel says. 

“No.” Kurt starts stacking them back up. “Some of them are dated nearly two years ago, so I’m sure he doesn’t remember why he kept those.” He reaches back into the bag, this time pulling out what he initially thinks is just a long scrap of red fabric, holding it up. “He did remember the red quite well.” He spreads the fabric between his hands and then laughs. “It’s red chantilly lace.”

Rachel laughs. “Gaga!” 

“He remembered so much, really,” Kurt says. “I think he’s going to surprise everyone with what he remembers.”

“I feel like there’s just something in the way,” Rachel says. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Kurt nods. “I don’t know much about brains, or mental health,” he admits, “but I can’t help but feel like it’s something physically hurt, you know? Not their ‘schizophrenia’ idea.”

“And if he really was thrown out of his truck in the middle of that accident,” Rachel says, a shudder running through her body. “Can you imagine how horrible it must have been, to be in the middle of all of that?”

“I would have started running,” Kurt says, imagining how confusing it would have been. “He probably had blood in his eyes from that cut. He says the snow was on fire, so he was aware of that. Yes, I would have tried to get away from the fire.” 

“So, who was it that they found in the truck?” Rachel asked, dropping her voice.

Kurt frowns and then shrugs. “If Finn was thrown from the truck, someone else could have been thrown _into_ the truck. Why their family didn’t notice them missing, though, I don’t know.”

“We could see if there were any missing persons reports around that time?” Rachel says. “Maybe they didn’t know that whoever it was had been in the accident.”

“We’ll at least mention it to Detective Lumm,” Kurt says. “He can call around in Ohio.” Kurt looks at the things that were important enough to Finn to carry them in his pockets. “There’s a few other things in the bag, like a key, but I think it’s very clear what Finn was thinking.”

“He was trying to get home,” Rachel says. “He was trying to find us.”

“Yes,” Kurt says softly, gathering up Finn’s things and placing them in the drawer with the pictures. “And instead we found him.”

“I wish it hadn’t taken us two years,” Rachel says. She wipes her eyes, but she can’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. 

Kurt reaches across the bed and wipes a few of the tears away. “Me too,” he says. “Me too. But we found him, and we’re going to take him home.”

“If Burt and Carole won’t agree to let us, I’ll call my dads and get the number for their lawyer!” Rachel says. 

“Hopefully we won’t have to sue my dad,” Kurt says, “especially since he’s a Congressman.” He laughs a little. “It’d make a great Lifetime movie, though.”

“Oh my goodness, Kurt, can you imagine what the headlines are going to be when the media finds out who Finn is?” Rachel shakes her head.

“I’m hoping Finn can be released before the announcement,” Kurt says, sighing. “Getting him out of here with cameras flashing and people yelling would be a disaster.” 

“Is there a disaster?” Finn’s sleepy voice asks. 

“Hi,” Kurt says, standing up from the chair and sitting on the bed beside Finn. “No disaster at present.”

“There’s stuff on the bed,” Finn says. “Is that my stuff?”

“We did find your stuff, yes,” Kurt says. “You made very smart selections.”

“Is it good stuff?” Finn asks. 

“It is definitely good stuff,” Kurt tells him. “You were trying to find us, in New York.”

“I didn’t remember that, though,” Finn says. “But I remember now. You’re Kurt and Rachel, and I’m Finn, and we all live in New York together.”

“Yes. Do you want to talk about rings now?” Kurt asks, exchanging a glance with Rachel. Finn puts up his hand and flips it back to front a few times, smiling widely at Kurt. “Once you don’t have pneumonia, I’ll make you do more of the dance than that,” Kurt threatens jokingly. 

Finn nods, his smile fading into confusion again as his gaze flickers between Kurt and Rachel a few times. “Why don’t you have rings?”

Kurt nods at Rachel, looking between her face, her hands, and Finn. Rachel holds up the small box and opens it, displaying a ring with a small heart-shaped solitaire, surrounded by tiny channel-set diamonds. 

“That’s pretty,” Finn says.

“It is,” Rachel says. “You picked it out for me. Do you remember that?”

“We aren’t sure how you managed to hold onto it,” Kurt says. “It’s the same ring, though.”

“Did I put a ring on it?” Finn asks.

“You did, once,” Rachel replies. “But then I gave this back to you. Were you trying to bring this ring to me again?”

“It was in my pocket,” Finn says. “I remember it in my pocket.”

Kurt nods. “So it came with you, because it was in your pocket.” 

“I don’t know where the other one is,” Finn says. 

“Which other one, Finn?” Rachel asks. 

“Kurt’s. Kurt’s ring.”

Kurt looks at Finn quizzically, then at Rachel, who looks like she’s beginning to put something together through the confusion. “I don’t have a ring,” Kurt says slowly. 

“Did you give it back? Like Rachel?” Finn asks.

“I did have a ring once,” Kurt says, “but you didn’t give it to me. And yes, I gave it back. It was the right thing to do at that point.”

“Oh. Okay,” Finn says. His forehead wrinkles and he frowns as he continues looking at the open ring box in Rachel’s hand. 

“Are you remembering something?” Rachel asks something. 

Finn shakes his head. “I don’t want to remember anything else right now.”

“That’s fine,” Kurt says. “Your mom should be back with some lunch soon, and then they’ll do those tests that say it’s fine for you to leave, we hope.”


	5. Chapter 5

  
“Lunchtime!” Carole’s voice says as the door opens, and Kurt jumps a little, not having heard them coming for once. “We have sandwiches for everyone.”

“I like sandwiches,” Finn says. “I think I like them.”

“The doctor said you weren’t supposed to have anything else to eat,” Burt says.

“That’s ridiculous! They’re scanning his head, not his stomach,” Rachel says. 

“And clearly skipping additional meals is a bad idea,” Kurt says with a frown. 

“I have one we can save for after his tests,” Carole says. 

“No, he can eat it now,” Rachel insists. “I’m not taking him to those tests with low blood sugar. It’s important to eat a balanced meal before a test.”

“And good protein will help rebuild his muscles,” Kurt says, nodding. “Let him eat, he’s not going under anaesthesia.”

“Do I like sandwiches?” Finn whispers to Kurt. 

“You love them,” Kurt assures him.

“He _has_ lost a lot of weight, Carole,” Burt says. “It can’t be good for him to go so long without eating something. Maybe we just don’t mention it when they come to get him.”

Carole looks at Finn for a few moments and then nods. “You’re right. It doesn’t seem right to hold food back, does it?” With that, she sets the bags down and starts handing out the sandwiches, along with bags of chips. 

“Barbeque chips for me,” Kurt says. “Bibi, you want salt and vinegar or plain?”

“I’ll take whichever flavor Finn doesn’t want,” Rachel says.

“Do you want to try salt and vinegar, Finn?” Kurt asks.

“Do I like that kind?”

“Well, it’s not the one that was your favorite of all, but try it,” Kurt says, opening the bag and handing it to Finn. Finn takes one chip out of the bag, puts it in his mouth, and starts grimacing and making the same face he made in response to the Lifesaver Lollipop.

“That’s sour,” Finn says, still half-heartedly chewing the chip.

“Not a big fan of sour, check,” Kurt says, pulling out one of his barbeque chips and offering it to Finn. “This isn’t really sour, if you want to try it.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. No tricks,” Kurt says.

Finn takes the chip from Kurt and puts it in his mouth, nodding as he eats it. “Okay. I like that kind.”

Kurt exchanges a glance with Rachel and shrugs. “Okay, so we can get you some barbeque chips from now on, if you like them.” 

“I hope you like your sandwich, then,” Carole says. “I got you an Italian Club. It shouldn’t have anything sour on it, though.”

“Unless you got it on sourdough,” Burt says.

“It’s not sourdough,” Carole says, shaking her head and offering Finn the sandwich. Finn starts to eat with no obvious grimace. 

“Thank you for the food, Carole,” Rachel says.

“Oh, you’re welcome,” Carole says almost dismissively, handing the rest of the food out. “Better hurry, Finn, before they come get you for your tests.” 

“You used to eat grilled cheese,” Kurt says slowly as Finn eats. “Do you remember that?”

Finn chews a bite of his sandwich and appears to be thinking it over. When he swallows the bite, he nods. “But now I’m an atheist like you,” he says.

Kurt puts his hand to his mouth, trying not to giggle as he nods. “That’s true. Rachel, he’s not going to have anything forgotten soon, so we should admit we remember some of the ridiculous costumes we had from time to time.”

Rachel does giggle. “Maybe he’s just tricking us so he can gather information for his spy ring,” she says. “Really, he remembers everything.”

Finn looks impressed with himself. “Am I a spy? That’s pretty cool.”

“No, no spying, just college,” Kurt says. “But don’t worry about that, we’ll have time to figure out if you want to keep studying the same thing or not.” He takes a bite of his sandwich as he starts to frown, because he doesn’t know how Finn’s alternative memory structures will adapt to a classroom. 

“Kurt’s right, sweetie,” Carole says. “Plenty of time to worry about all of that.”

“You need to finish your sandwich before they come to get us,” Rachel says. 

“Do you still want me to walk with you?” Kurt asks. “I’ll wait for you to come back here either way.”

“Yes. Thanks,” Finn says.

“Okay.” Kurt pats Finn’s leg and eats more of his own sandwich. “Hopefully none of it will take too long.” 

Finn is still chewing the last bite of his sandwich when there is a knock on the door. “Mr. Hudson?” a man’s voice says. “We’re here to take you to your CT scan.”

Kurt slides off the bed and puts his phone in his pocket, and Rachel stands on the other side. The man pushes a wheelchair across the room to the side of Finn’s bed, transferring the IV bag and attaching the nasal cannula to a smaller tank before helping Finn from the bed into the chair. 

“Interesting how they didn’t do this until now, isn’t it?” Kurt murmurs to Rachel as the man works.

“It’s amazing what going from being homeless to being the son of a United States congressman will do,” Rachel whispers back. 

Kurt covers his mouth and snorts as he nods. The man, presumably an orderly, gets Finn settled, then covers his lap with a blanket. 

“Here we go,” the man says cheerfully, starting to push Finn out of the room, and Kurt and Rachel fall into step behind him. “CT’s not too far,” the orderly continues. “You should have some time in your room between CT and the MRI.”

“Remember, I’ll be waiting in your room,” Kurt says as they enter an elevator. “And Rachel will be in the room next to you.”

“You can’t come, too?” Finn asks. 

“I’ll come as far as I can,” Kurt says. “And then if you want us to, Rachel and I can switch when you get your MRI done.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Finn says. “Goodbye.”

Kurt exchanges an alarmed glance with Rachel as the elevator opens and the orderly pushes Finn out. “I’m not leaving, Finn. I’ll walk to the CT room with you right now. There’s just not a lot of space there.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Neither of us is leaving you,” Kurt says as the orderly stops in front of a door. 

“Two minutes,” the orderly says, going through the door. 

“Neither of us is leaving,” Kurt repeats. “I’ll see you as soon as you finish your test, Finn.” He smiles at Finn and then kisses his forehead.

“Rachel, too,” Finn prompts.

“Okay, Rachel, too,” Kurt agrees with a smile, kissing Rachel on the forehead. “I’ll see you after Finn’s test, too,” he tells Rachel, then as the orderly re-emerges, Kurt turns to head back to the elevator. He pauses until the door closes behind Finn and Rachel, then takes the elevator down to the coffee cart for a large coffee before heading back to Finn’s floor. 

He’s not exactly sure what his dad will have to say, but with Finn out of the room, Kurt’s fairly certain that they _will_ discuss the issue of where Finn goes after Philadelphia. Kurt enters the room and looks around quizzically. “Where’s Carole?”

“She’s talking to an administrator about getting Finn on some insurance,” Burt says. “He didn’t exactly still have coverage.”

“No, I suppose not,” Kurt concedes, taking a seat in the sleeper chair, which he’s rapidly coming to think of as ‘his’ chair. “Miraculous how they can evaluate him now that he seems more eligible for coverage.”

“Guess there was less motivation before,” Burts says. “They were probably just more focused on treating the pneumonia, and less worried about any kind of evaluation.”

“Hmmph.” Kurt snorts and drinks some of his coffee. “They were quick to label it schizophrenia, too. But you can see it, Dad. He’s not schizophrenic. It’s just like his brain has made new roads to help him remember things.”

“He doesn’t seem to have schizophrenia to _me_ , but neither one of us saw him when he was brought in. He was saying some pretty wild stuff, and he’s clearly been sleeping on the streets,” Burt says. 

“The snow was on fire sounds wild, too, unless you know about the accident,” Kurt says. “He mentioned that he was flying, and then he wasn’t. Again, without context, that does sound strange. Knowing about the accident, though, it seems like an explanation.” Kurt sighs. “Rachel and I went through his things. He was trying to get to New York, Dad.”

“But what was he doing for the last two years? If he knew to go to New York, why didn’t he know to call somebody? How was he living these past years?”

“I think he was walking to New York, Dad, and he knew to go to New York. Not names and numbers, but things like musical program covers and memories.” Kurt shakes his head. “Do you _want_ him to be schizophrenic? Just so Rachel and I won’t take him to New York with us?”

“Of course I don’t want that!” Burt protests. “I want him to be fine, but he’s obviously not fine, and as much as you and Rachel care about him, I also don’t want either of you taking on the burden of providing twenty-four-hour care for another adult, especially one bigger than both of you put together.”

“He’s much bigger than Carole, too, Dad,” Kurt points out. “If we take him home to New York, I’m sure that between us we can continue with some classes and work. If he goes to Lima, you know we’re both going to take at least a semester off, if not longer. We can’t just go back and pick up like nothing’s changed. _Everything_ has changed.”

“Yeah, it has, and not just for you and Rachel,” Burt says. “What about Carole, huh? She’s spent the last two years thinking her son was dead. She wants to bring him home and take care of him.”

“We _all_ spent two years thinking Finn was dead! All of us,” Kurt says thickly, trying to will himself not to cry. “I don’t understand what Carole is feeling, no. But he’s twenty-one, Dad. He’s not a baby or a little kid.”

“He doesn’t even know what foods he likes anymore! I know he recognizes us, but I don’t know that he has any idea what, exactly, your and Rachel’s relationship to him is,” Burt says. “I don’t think he’s capable of taking care of himself.”

“And I don’t think he needs someone to make all of his decisions for him,” Kurt says, taking another drink of his coffee. “Which is, I suppose, what the psychiatrist is for. To settle the stalemate. Doesn’t it matter to you at all that he wants to be in New York?”

“If the psychiatrist says he’s well enough to make decisions for himself, of course it matters,” Burt says.

“Even if the psychiatrist says he needs _some_ assistance, doesn’t it matter?” Kurt asks. “He wants to go to New York. I think the idea of Ohio scares him. His last memory of Ohio is the accident.”

“It matters. Of course it matters,” Burt sighs. “But if the psychiatrist thinks Finn is going to need long-term care, or that he could be a danger to himself or someone else, his mother and I are bringing him home to Ohio. That’s what we have decided.”

“So it matters, but you don’t care.” Kurt looks away and stares at his coffee cup. “What if he tries to go to New York again?” he whispers.

“If he’s a danger to himself, we’ll just have to take precautions.”

“Precautions?” Kurt looks back at Burt, feeling almost alarmed. “What do you mean, precautions?”

“We won’t worry about anything like that unless it’s going to actually be an issue,” Burt says soothingly. “This is all hypothetical. Even if the psychiatrist does think the initial diagnosis is correct, we’ll have a lot of options to consider before we have to do anything extreme.”

“No, you have to explain ‘precautions’, because I’m picturing restraints and keeping him sedated, and Dad, that is _not_ an option to consider.”

“Son, we’re not going to strap your brother to a bed! You really think that’s something we’d consider unless there was literally nothing else to do?” Burt shakes his head. “I mean something like one of those in-home care people, somebody who could make sure he doesn’t wander.”

“If he was where he wants to be, he wouldn’t wander, either,” Kurt says almost sullenly. “And they have in-home care in New York. I know you think Rachel and I aren’t thinking about Carole, but you and Carole aren’t thinking about Rachel and me, either.”

“We’re thinking about you, too,” Burt says. “It’s just, Kurt, Finn and Rachel weren’t even together at the time of the accident. I can’t put her feelings ahead of Finn’s mom’s.”

“You can’t do something that will make Rachel leave New York, Dad,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “You know, I know, _everyone_ knows they were going to be together again, Dad. I know you’re concerned about Carole, but I’m just as concerned about Rachel.”

“I know you love Rachel. I know she’s important to you,” Burt says. “I’d actually kind of started to think the two of you might end up having a kid together someday or something.”

Kurt shakes his head with a slight smile. “First of all, no, you don’t get any grandchildren in the next several years _at least_ , and yes, I had assumed it would be Rachel and I together in some way in the future. Maybe a larger apartment or one in Manhattan when we had more money.” Kurt shakes his head again. “Finn’s _supposed_ to be with us, Dad. Let us make that, at least, right.”

“It was always supposed to be the three of you,” Burt concedes, putting his arm around Kurt. 

“We just want to take him home,” Kurt whispers. 

“I know you do. Let’s just not get ahead of ourselves. The most important thing here is figuring out what Finn needs to get better, alright?”

“That’s what all the tests are for,” Kurt says, trying to force some levity into his voice. 

“And here we are!” the orderly’s voice suddenly says, the door swinging wide open. “CT scan all done. I’ll go check with MRI and be back to get Mr. Hudson in fifteen to thirty minutes. Do you want to move to the bed, Finn, or stay in this chair?”

“I like the chair. I’m tired of the bed,” Finn says. He coughs a little, but it doesn’t sound as wet and his chest doesn’t have the audible rattle that it had the day before.

“Great,” the orderly says, wheeling Finn a little further into the room before setting the brakes on the wheelchair. “I’ll be back soon,” he says, heading out of Finn’s room and pulling the door shut behind him. 

“Hi, Finn,” Kurt says, standing up and walking over to Finn. “I was waiting for you, just like we said. How was your CT scan?”

“Okay,” Finn says. “I mostly just had to lie down on a table.”

“He did very well,” Rachel says. “He held still and they didn’t have to spend any extra time getting a good picture.”

“A model patient?” Kurt tries to tease, but he can tell it falls flat. 

Finn frowns. “Are you sad?”

“Oh.” Kurt rubs his hands over his face. “I was a little sad, yes. You don’t need to worry about it, though, I promise. Do you want me to come with you for the MRI? Or do you want Rachel to go with you?”

“Both,” Finn says.

“Finn,” Rachel says, and even though her tone is probably meant to be scolding, it’s undercut by the fact she’s also laughing. “Didn’t we just talk about this, oh, about five times?”

“Kurt didn’t know that,” Finn says. He looks like somebody who is trying to look innocent, but he also looks pleased with himself. 

Kurt laughs. “How about we’ll walk with you again,” he says to Finn, lowering his voice and crouching down next to the wheelchair, “and we’ll act like we didn’t know you couldn’t have a second person for the MRI?”

“That’ll work!” Finn says. “I can tell them I didn’t remember.”

“Exactly,” Kurt says, nodding. “Do you want to take some music to listen to during the MRI? It’ll take longer than your CT scan did.”

“Okay,” Finn says. 

“Any songs you think we should avoid?” Kurt asks Rachel as he straightens and goes over to the old iPod. 

“Nothing sad. Probably no show tunes,” Rachel says. 

“Classic rock it is,” Kurt says. “You do like classic rock, Finn.”

“Do I?”

Kurt looks at Rachel and giggles. “Oh, yes.”

“Okay,” Finn says.

“Ready to go?” the orderly asks as he opens the door. “They’re ready for you down at MRI.”

“I think we are,” Kurt agrees, winking at Finn.

“Yeah, okay, I’m ready,” Finn says. “Let’s go.”

“Here we go,” the orderly says cheerfully. “I hope you have music. MRIs can take a long time,” he adds as they head down the hall. 

“I have it,” Kurt says. 

“You’re scheduled for the open MRI, but you still have to hold still,” the orderly says. “They’ll let me know when you’re done, and I’ll come back for you.” 

“Okay,” Finn says. “Thanks.”

“He’ll do a good job holding still. He did just fine with the CT scan,” Rachel says.

“Excellent,” Kurt says as they enter the elevator. They ride in silence down a few floors, and then the orderly pushes Finn down several halls and into a room marked ‘MRI Waiting’. 

“I’ll see you in a little while,” the orderly says with a wave, then leaves them with a smile over his shoulder. 

“So far, so good,” Kurt says. 

“It seems very arbitrary anyway, doesn’t it?” Rachel says. “Why only one? Is the room really that small?”

“I think hospitals are like other institutions. There are rules just because they _can_ make those rules,” Kurt says ruefully. “Finn, I need to tell you something important, before they come in here.”

“Okay.”

“Whatever happens today, in the MRI room or back in your room, you _can’t_ take out your IV or your cannula, okay? If you’re upset, Rachel or I will help you calm down, but you must not do anything that they think is hurting yourself. Can you do that for us?”

“Okay,” Finn says. “They took the cannula off for the CT scan. If they try to take it off, do I stop them?”

“No, let anyone who works for the hospital take it off if they need to. Just let the nurses and doctors handle the IV and the cannula.”

“Okay.”

“It’s all going to be just fine,” Rachel says, putting on a brilliant smile for Finn. “The machine might be a little loud, but you’ll have the music Kurt brought for you. He put all of your favorite songs on it, and you’ll be able to just close your eyes and listen to the music.”

“Mr. Hudson?” a woman says, opening a door. “We’re ready for you now, if—” she breaks off and looks at Rachel and Kurt. “You’re only supposed to have one person accompany you.”

Finn’s face immediately goes blank, almost slack. “Oh,” he says. “I didn’t remember.”

“Neither of us are very large,” Kurt points out. “Surely it won’t be a problem now that we’re already here?”

The woman sighs, looking at Finn and then back at Kurt and Rachel. “Fine. Did you bring music, Mr. Hudson?”

“Yeah,” Finn says.

“Here it is,” Kurt says, offering the iPod. “It’s already on the correct playlist.”

The woman nods, stacking it on top of her own tablet, and another woman appears behind her, wheeling Finn into the room. The first woman gestures for Kurt and Rachel to follow her into the side booth. 

“We’ll be right through the window,” Kurt says. 

“Okay,” Finn says. “Thanks.”

Kurt smiles and then drops the smile as soon as he and Rachel are crammed into the booth, the technician working on setting up Finn’s music while another one gets Finn in the correct position. “Have you noticed that ‘thanks’ seems to actually mean ‘I don’t understand’?” Kurt whispers to Rachel. “I’m starting to hate hearing it.”

“Yes, I did notice that,” Rachel says. “It’s like a placeholder for when he doesn’t know what else to say. ‘Okay. Thanks’.”

“We’ll work on it. After we leave here,” Kurt says, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. “Carole thinks he’s a child again.”

Rachel sighs. “Maybe she just needs more time with him to see that he’s doing better than she thinks?”

“I feel like we’re the only ones that understand him,” Kurt admits. “Dad was talking about the weird things Finn said, but they’re not weird given the right context.”

“They’re actually very creative,” Rachel says. “Nobody was listening to him before you got here.”

“No.” Kurt sighs. “It makes me sad for the other people that no one’s listening to, you know?”

“Mr. Hudson?” the technician suddenly speaks into the microphone, and Kurt jumps. “We’re going to be starting in just a moment, so I’m turning your music on now.” A moment later, Kurt can hear Queen starting to play, and Rachel starts to giggle.

“What is it?” Kurt asks. 

“Maybe he’ll remember the saying now,” Rachel says.

“What?” Kurt listens for a moment, then starts to laugh. “Oh, yes. ‘The show must go on’. Maybe so.” He makes a face at Rachel and raises one eyebrow. “Do you really think so?”

“I think absolutely anything is possible now, don’t you?” she says.

Kurt nods. “True. I may even have to reconsider my position on the miraculous, which is quite the concession.”

Finn’s voice comes through the speaker into the booth. “I like this song!”

“Please stay still, Mr. Hudson,” the technician says into the microphone. 

“Barbeque chips, Lifesaver Gummies, and Queen, check,” Kurt murmurs to Rachel. “I think even sweet ’n’ sour chicken is out, though.”

“Maybe his sense of taste got rewired a little,” Rachel says.

“Maybe so, or he had positive associations with certain tastes, and he doesn’t recall those?” Kurt speculates. “Same for negative associations with other tastes.” 

“Maybe he might be interested in becoming a vegetarian now!” Rachel says, rubbing her hands together like she’s plotting to take over the world with tofu.

“He already said he likes pepperoni,” Kurt says loftily. “In this case, my dear, the Y chromosomes win.” 

“I’m sure someone makes vegetarian pepperoni.”

“Oh no you don’t. If anything, maybe _you_ should take a cue from his newfound open-mindness,” Kurt suggests with a smile. 

“I’ve already conceded on the eggs and cheese,” Rachel says. “I might be willing to try fish.”

“ _When_ we get home, we’ll get some high-quality sushi,” Kurt says. “Do you think Finn’s forgotten that he didn’t usually dress up very often? I need to order him some clothes.”

“I think it’s suddenly very important to show him all the pictures from our performances and any other formal event,” Rachel says. 

While they’re talking, the song changes, this time to ‘Kashmir’. “Not high fashion,” Kurt says. “Classic but refined. Right?”

“Some pants that actually fit well?”

“Also easier in New York, given I sometimes suspected he was the only person in Allen County taller than 6’ 2”,” Kurt says. 

“He was so tall, he made everyone else look small,” Rachel says. Her lip trembles slightly, then she looks surprised. “Oh! _Is_. He _is_ so tall!”

“But not in Lima,” Kurt says, taking her hand and squeezing it. “Rachel,” he says softly, “we’re going to be _happy_.”

“I wasn’t really sure we ever would be,” Rachel whispers. “Not without him.”

“Probably not,” Kurt concedes. “My dad just told me earlier he had started to figure that one day we’d announce we were going to have a baby together.”

Rachel giggles, even though tears are forming at the corners of her eyes. “We _would_ produce attractive babies.”

“Forget attractive, Bibi, think of the _talent_ ,” Kurt says with a smile. “Broadway before driving, don’t you think?”

“Oh, but she would have _such_ great hair, too!”

Kurt laughs and nods as the song ends, a few moments of silence making the equipment suddenly loud, but they keep laughing. Kurt doesn’t even really notice what the new song is, not until he hears Finn’s voice singing loudly. 

“A singer in a smoky room,” Finn belts through the speaker. “A smell of wine and cheap perfume!”

“Oh my God,” Kurt breathes, looking over at Rachel, whose hand is over her mouth. “Sing, Bibi,” he whispers, prodding her towards the microphone and glaring at the technician. 

“Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard,” Rachel sings into the microphone.

Finn’s voice replies, “Their shadows searching in the night.”

“I really need to—” the technician starts to say, but Kurt shakes his head and interrupts her. 

“Let them,” Kurt says firmly. 

“Working hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill,” Rachel sings to Finn, and Finn’s voice joins her for, “Paying anything to roll the dice just one more time.” 

Rachel has tears pouring down her face, but she and Finn are both perfectly on key. The technician still looks annoyed, but she doesn’t try to stop Rachel again, and as the song continues, the technician starts to look somewhat grudgingly amazed by the entire thing. 

Rachel reaches for Kurt, grabbing him by the crook of his arm and pulling him to the microphone just in time to sing, “Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feeling,” and the three of them sing the rest of the song together. 

By the time the music fades completely, Kurt’s crying too, his arms wrapped around Rachel. “That was perfect, Finn,” he says into the microphone. 

“Can we sing it again?” Finn asks.

“After they finish your MRI,” Rachel promises. “We’ll sing it as many times as you want, but you have to let this nice technician finish your MRI first.”

“Okay,” Finn says. “I like that song.”

“Yes,” Kurt says. “We do, too.” With that, he and Rachel step back from the microphone, and he nods at the technician, who starts the MRI process again. “That was amazing,” he whispers to Rachel. 

“I think he’s going to be just fine,” Rachel says quietly. “That was our Finn, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Kurt says. “That’s our Finn.” Kurt kisses Rachel’s cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you, too,” Rachel says. She puts her arm around Kurt’s waist, laying her head on his shoulder, and they watch the rest of the MRI in near-silence, occasionally hearing Finn sing a few words or a line very softly. Finally, the technician steps back and nods at them. 

“That’s all, Mr. Hudson,” she says into the microphone. “We’ll be right in.” She gestures for Rachel and Kurt to follow her, and they rejoin Finn in the main MRI room. 

“Excellent,” Kurt tells Finn with a broad smile.

“That took a long time,” Finn says. 

“They had to take a _lot_ of pictures of your brain,” Kurt says. The outside door opens and the same orderly comes in with a smile, winking at Kurt and Rachel. 

“Time to head back to your room,” the orderly says, still cheerful. “We’ll get you back into your bed this time.”

“I want to walk,” Finn says. “Can I walk?”

“I’m afraid not,” the orderly says. “Some kind of liability rules, so instead I get to help transport you.” He pushes Finn into the waiting area and then back into the hallway. “They may want you to start walking around your room soon, though. Sometimes they do, with pneumonia patients.”

“When we get home, we’ll go for short walks,” Kurt tells Finn. 

“In New York,” Finn says.

“That’s right,” Rachel says. “As soon as we get you home to New York.”

“You’re heading to New York when you leave us?” the orderly asks. “Don’t forget us down here in Philly! Come visit and eat a cheesesteak!”

“Oh, we’ll make sure we get a cheesesteak before we leave the city,” Kurt says with a smile as they ride the elevator back up to Finn’s floor. 

“Not Rachel,” Finn says. Rachel laughs and nods.

“Probably not,” she agrees.

“She said she’ll try some fish with us when we get home, though,” Kurt says as the doors open and they head down the correct hallway. “Do you think she’ll like the fish?”

“Rachel doesn’t eat fish,” Finn says. “Rachel, you don’t eat fish.”

“And you didn’t used to like barbeque chips, but you tried them, and you liked them,” Rachel says. “I can try something new, if you’ll try it with me.”

“Okay,” Finn says.

“And I’ll take some pictures to document it,” Kurt says as they enter Finn’s room. “Hi, Carole. Please tell me you haven’t had to discuss insurance this entire time!” 

“It did feel long,” Carole says with a little laugh. 

“We’re still going to make a couple of calls tomorrow,” Burt says. “Nobody’s really got a contingency plan for this kind of thing.”

The orderly helps Finn back into the bed, and Kurt and Rachel sit down on either side of him as the orderly leaves. “No, I suppose not,” Kurt says, glancing at Finn with the realization that none of them have really told Finn exactly what they thought for the past two years. 

“Finn did wonderfully,” Rachel says. “And we all sang a song together.”

“What did you sing, sweetie?” Carole asks.

“If you don’t know the name of it, you could sing a line,” Kurt says quietly to Finn. 

Finn gives Kurt his real smile, then starts to sing, “Just a small town girl, livin’ in a lonely world.”

Kurt returns the smile and nods, looking over at Carole, who has her hand to her mouth. “Oh, that’s lovely, Finn,” she says. 

“He didn’t even sing that particular line earlier,” Kurt says almost proudly. 

“I like that song,” Finn says. “We used to sing that song. We sang it all the time.”

Kurt laughs. “It did seem that way at times, yes.”

“So, the sit-down with the hospital staff has been pushed back to four-thirty,” Burt says. “Apparently things don’t run on time in a hospital any better than they do in Washington.”

“What did I say about hospitals and rules?” Kurt says wryly. “I’m feeling a little tired.” He glances at Rachel as he speaks, looking between her and Finn. 

“I am, too,” Rachel says. “Sitting there and watching that MRI was strangely draining.”

“Maybe the three of you should take a nap,” Burt suggests. 

“Okay,” Finn says.

“That’s a good idea,” Kurt says with a nod, lying back next to Finn. “You’ll wake us when it’s time for the meeting?”

“Of course,” Burt says. “Though, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“I hardly think Finn could get out of bed without us noticing,” Kurt says flatly.

“I’m not sure that Finn’s expected at _this_ meeting,” Burt says.

“They weren’t sure Finn would be comfortable hearing himself discussed,” Carole explains. 

“But it’s his life,” Kurt says. “It’s hardly fair to say there’s a meeting on his ability to make his own decisions and then not even allow him to attend!”

“You’re right,” Burt says, his tone conciliatory. “Finn, I apologize.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Finn says.

Kurt tries not to wince, glancing at Rachel. “We’ll all come,” Rachel says. “I think it’s important for all of us to know exactly what’s going on.”

Kurt nods. “Exactly. So please wake us up when it’s time for the meeting?”

“Okay, will do,” Burt says. “I think Carole and I will go get a much-needed cup of coffee.”

“Okay,” Kurt says, closing his eyes and trying to relax. “Sleep, Finn.” Kurt doesn’t even hear a response, if there is one, falling asleep almost immediately.


	6. Chapter 6

  
Kurt has weird dreams about old-fashioned rotary phones ringing and ringing, as well as very old flash-photography being taken, with Finn, Rachel, and himself dressed like they are movie stars from the 1940s. As he starts to wake up, Kurt thinks it must be during the war years, because Rachel has a seam drawn on her leg, instead of real stockings. Kurt blinks away the last of sleep and stares up at Burt. 

“Dad? Was someone taking pictures?”

“Not while I was in here,” Burt says. “Why? Did you see somebody?”

“I guess it was just a weird dream,” Kurt says, shaking his head to clear it and then sitting up. He reaches across Finn and gently shakes Rachel’s arm. “Bibi, wake up.”

“Is it time?” Rachel asks. 

“It is,” Kurt says, pulling back and placing his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Finn, wake up.”

“Okay,” Finn says without opening his eyes.

“You have to get up so we can go to the meeting,” Kurt continues, glancing at Burt before leaning forward, whispering in Finn’s ear. “So you can come home with us.”

“To New York,” Finn says.

“That’s right,” Rachel says. She stretches and hugs Finn, the back of her hand resting against Kurt’s chest. “Time to wake up so we can all go home.”

Kurt stands up and does his own stretching, then looks around the room. “Is there a wheelchair, or can Finn walk?”

“I can walk,” Finn says. “I remember how.”

“Maybe some real pants, if you’re going to walk?” Kurt suggests. 

“Do I have real pants?”

“I didn’t think about bringing any clothes,” Burt says. “I was just thinking about getting us out of here as fast as possible.”

“I have something,” Rachel confesses, her face looking flushed. “I have a pair of your sweatpants, Finn. I couldn’t bear to— sometimes I wear them when no one else is around.”

“There we go, then,” Kurt says. “Sweatpants.”

“Here, I’ll get them,” Rachels says. She slides off the bed and then opens her totebag, shuffling through clothing until she pulls out a pair of grey sweatpants with a faded McKinley logo on them. “I can wait outside with Burt and Carole, if you want.”

Finn frowns, then nods. “Kurt, too.”

“If that’s what you’d rather,” Kurt says with a nod, taking Rachel’s hand and following Burt out of the room and into the hall. After about a minute, Kurt hears the toilet flush, then the sink running, before Finn appears in the doorway. “Ready?” Kurt asks him. 

“I like wearing pants. I should do that from now on,” Finn says. “It’s way better than not wearing pants.”

“We’ll do some shopping online later, then,” Kurt says with a smile. “Which way to the meeting?” Kurt asks Burt. 

“There’s a room on the fourth floor. Hopefully somebody can direct us when we get there,” Burt says. 

“Another elevator ride,” Kurt says, sliding close to Finn’s side as they walk slowly down the hall, and he sees Rachel doing the same on the other side. “I’m sure there’s a sign of some kind.”

“Sweetie, are you sure you want to walk?” Carole asks. 

“I can do it,” Finn insists.

“You’re doing just fine,” Rachel assures him. “Anybody would be a little wobbly after being in bed with pneumonia.”

Finn does make it to the elevator without incident, leaning against the elevator wall as they descend to the fourth floor, and then walking between Kurt and Rachel again as they follow the signs to the patient conference area. When they arrive at the correct room, Geraldine and Jessica are already there. 

“Finn Hudson!” Geraldine says. “So good to see you up and about.”

Finn gives Geraldine the vacant, not-really-Finn smile. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Let’s sit down,” Kurt says to Finn. “Is there anywhere specific we should sit, Geraldine? I don’t want to take anyone’s seat.”

“Wherever Finn is most comfortable is fine,” Geraldine says. 

“Finn? Where would you like to sit?” Rachel asks.

A strange look passes across Finn’s face, almost a look of panic. He points at the seat directly in front of him. “Here,” he says.

“An excellent choice,” Kurt says quickly. “We’ll sit beside you.”

“Okay. Thanks.” 

“You have to actually sit, Finn,” Kurt can hear Rachel whisper. Finn pulls out the seat and sits in it, with Kurt and Rachel flanking him.

“You remember Jessica,” Geraldine says, addressing the group. “Dr. Norris and Dr. Digby should be here shortly, and we’ve asked Pamela, the nurse on duty, to stop by as well.”

“We had an impromptu concert in the MRI earlier,” Kurt tells Geraldine. “Finn’s remembering some of the songs we all used to sing together.”

“So I heard,” Geraldine says. “Finn is becoming quite the Jefferson celebrity.”

“Hopefully without any paparazzi?” Kurt says lightly.

“We’re doing our very best to keep Finn’s identity out of the media, but I’m afraid there’s a time limit on everything,” Geraldine says. “Philadelphia is too invested in John Doe’s story to let this go easily.”

“Did you get things set up for tomorrow?” Kurt asks Burt. 

“I did. They’re just waiting on my confirmation,” Burt says. “I have a written statement prepared.”

“And of course Finn will not be expected to make a statement, correct?” Kurt asks. 

“What statement?” Finn asks. “Do I have to make a statement?”

“No, of course you don’t,” Rachel says, taking Finn’s arm.

“No, no, my statement includes a plea for respecting our privacy, how our family’s already been through so much,” Burt says. “Nobody should be expecting a statement.”

“What statement?” Finn repeats.

“Just a prepared statement to read,” Kurt assures him. “Burt will handle it. You won’t even realize it’s happened.”

“Why does Burt have to make a statement?” Finn says. “What happened?”

“Finn, do you understand what happened two years ago?” Jessica asks, and Kurt can feel his eyes widening. He shakes his head rapidly in Jessica’s direction, but she doesn’t appear to notice. Kurt sighs and looks at Rachel, who looks stricken, tears welling in her eyes again. 

“I had an accident,” Finn says, sounding confused. “Right? An accident?”

“That’s absolutely right, Finn,” Kurt says soothingly. “You didn’t get it wrong. But the police working the accident did get it wrong.” He reaches for Finn’s hand and squeezes it. “Remember how I said we didn’t know you were lost?”

Finn nods. “If you knew, you would have looked for me.”

“Exactly. Finn, the police told us— they told us you were dead,” Kurt says quietly. 

“Okay,” Finn says.

“Finn, do you understand what happened that day?” Rachel says. “Somebody else made a mistake. They didn’t know you…” She looks at Kurt for help, tears hanging on her eyelashes. “How did he say it?”

“They didn’t know that you had flown for a little bit,” Kurt says, squeezing Finn’s hand again. “They thought you were still in your truck.”

“My truck burned. I didn’t forget where I parked it. It burned,” Finn says. His forehead wrinkles, his eyes squinting while he seems to be processing everything he’s just been told. “They told you I was dead,” he finally says. “They told you I burned in my truck. Is that right?”

Kurt nods. “That’s exactly right. They made the mistake. Not you.”

“We didn’t know to look for you,” Rachel says. 

“Because I was dead,” Finn says.

“Because you were declared to be dead, yes,” Kurt says. “But you weren’t, and you were found.”

“I forgot to be dead?” Finn asks.

“No, you did the best you could,” Kurt says. “We’re so proud of you.” He glances at Burt and Carole, and Carole wipes at her eyes, tears pouring down her cheeks. 

“I was dead,” Finn says. “And you were alone.”

“No, Finn, we weren’t alone,” Rachel says. “Kurt and I were together the whole time. We never let each other be alone. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“You thought I was dead,” Finn says. “Kurt thought I was dead. My mom thought I was dead.”

“That’s why we were so sad while you were lost,” Kurt says softly. “And now we’re very, very happy.”

“Okay,” Finn says. “Thanks.”

“That’s a lot for right now,” Rachel says. 

“We love you, Finn,” Kurt says. 

“I love you, too,” Finn says. 

“We know you do,” Rachel says. “We know.”

Luckily, Jessica doesn’t ask any more questions before the door opens again and three people enter. Kurt recognizes one as one of Finn’s nurses, the second as the doctor who spoke to them before, and he assumes that the third one, a woman with long dark hair pulled into a bun, is the second doctor. The nurse nods at each of them, and the second doctor smiles at each of them as she sits, before turning to look at Geraldine.

“Now that everyone’s here,” Geraldine begins. “This is Dr. Norris, whom you’ve already met I believe; Dr. Digby, the attending who’s been the primary doctor for Finn during his stay; and Pamela, the nurse on shift today. Doctors, Pamela, these are Finn’s parents, Burt and Carole, and Finn’s friends, Rachel and Kurt. And of course, all of you know Finn.”

“Hello,” Dr. Digby says, and Kurt realizes that she’s British. “We’re very glad to put a name to Finn.”

“Thank you so much for taking care of him,” Carole says. 

“Dr. Rosenbaum, the neurologist who looked at Finn’s MRIs, couldn’t join us this afternoon, but he’ll be available later this evening,” Dr. Norris says. “Should we begin?”

“Yes, I think we should get right down to it,” Burt says. 

“We’ll go over the medical findings first,” Jessica says, “then the implications. Dr. Digby?”

“Thank you. Finn’s pneumonia is responding quite well to treatment, and while he’ll need to continue an oral antibiotic, he’s now off the intravenous antibiotics. Because his pneumonia was so severe, I will recommend a follow-up examination in the next few weeks to check for any damage, and we’ll be giving him an inhaler before he leaves Jefferson. Since Finn was— Mr. Hudson, where is your O2?”

Finn’s face goes blank, which Kurt now recognizes is an intentional shift in an attempt to be sneaky, and he says, “I forgot I had to put it back on.”

“Finn!” Rachel scolds, not even trying to hide her amused smile.

“And Mr. Hudson is showing us why he’s now on oral antibiotics,” Dr. Digby says, clearly trying not to show her own amusement. “Finn had several scrapes and cuts when he first arrived, which were all cleaned thoroughly and have now healed. We ran thorough bloodwork and tests after Finn arrived, and aside from a slightly low iron level and being underweight, he’s in remarkably good shape. No communicable diseases, no signs of illicit substance use, and no noticeable signs that he’s so much as suffered a broken bone in the past two years. There are some significant scars that appear to be about the same age as the one on his forehead, some of which show signs of suturing, all on the left side of his body, but they are all healed nicely at this point.” Dr. Digby smiles and nods at Finn. “Aside from the potential for lingering lung issues, I’m quite comfortable describing him as well on the road to recovering his full physical health.”

“We’ll cook large meals for you,” Kurt says quietly to Finn. “With plenty of red meat.” He winks at Rachel as he says the second part.

Finn says, “Okay. Thanks.” Rachel takes Finn’s hand and pats it gently. 

“So he’ll need to see a pulmonologist, as well as gain weight and take an iron supplement?” Carole asks. “That seems almost too simple.”

“Those are my recommendations, yes,” Dr. Digby says. “Of course, I can give you referrals for pulmonologists here in Philadelphia, but I assume you will want to find care providers in—?”

“New York,” Kurt and Rachel both chorus, while Burt and Carole simultaneous say, “Ohio.”

“I live in New York,” Finn says.

“No, sweetie, you don’t,” Carole says, and Kurt notices Jessica and Geraldine exchanging glances and making notes. 

“I do,” Finn insists. “I live in New York. Kurt and Rachel live in New York, so I live in New York.”

“Finn,” Carole says patiently. “Your home is in Ohio.”

“ _No_ ,” Finn says, clearly becoming agitated. “My home is in New York.”

“Finn, son, you’ve never lived in New York for a day of your life,” Burt says.

“But he was supposed to,” Rachel interjects. “That was always the plan.”

“Perhaps we can come back to this discussion after Dr. Digby finishes, and Dr. Norris gets a chance to talk?” Geraldine suggests. 

“Is my stuff in Ohio?” Finn asks, ignoring Geraldine.

“No,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “It’s in New York under my bed.”

“And in my bottom dresser drawer,” Rachel adds.

“Like Geraldine said, we should probably finish hearing what Dr. Digby has to say,” Jessica says. 

“I think Finn’s mum summarized my recommendations nicely,” Dr. Digby says. “Of course I’ll continue to monitor Finn’s health throughout the remainder of his stay, but from a physical standpoint, I’m prepared to discharge him at any point going forward.” She nods a little and looks back to Geraldine. 

“Dr. Norris?” Geraldine prompts. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, I think we should just dive right into it,” Dr. Norris says. “I’m not completely discounting the possibility that the initial diagnosis was correct, but in the absence of a diagnostic history, and with questions raised about whether Finn has shown two specified symptoms, I don’t feel confident in making a diagnosis of schizophrenia at this point. His scans showed visualized damage to his left temporal lobe, and milder, but still visualized, damage to his left frontal lobe. The trauma to his brain could be responsible for much of Finn’s loss of memory and inconsistent cognizance.”

“So it _is_ the head trauma?” Rachel asks, still clinging to Finn’s hand. “What about the emotional trauma from the accident. That had to have been horrible to live through!”

“It seems like perhaps PTSD would be a more appropriate avenue to pursue?” Kurt asks. “What signs of schizophrenia have been documented?”

“He’s exhibited disorganized speech, and on initial examination, seemed to be experiencing delusions,” Dr. Norris says. “It does seem now, however, that Finn was trying to explain the nature of his injuries and the accident that caused them. Some of his language choice was unclear and seemed delusional without the context, but within the context of the accident, seems quite rational.”

“Does that mean he needs a neurologist as well?” Carole asks. 

“Yes, at this juncture I feel that a neurologist may be able to provide better treatment than a psychiatrist, though ideally, both could and should be working together to provide comprehensive care,” Dr. Norris says. “Long-term treatment might include a combination of medications and cognitive-behavioral therapies.”

“Would it be fair to say that Finn will need a general practitioner who can help coordinate his pulmonary and neurological care?” Kurt asks. 

“That is a reasonable assessment, yes,” Dr. Digby says. She looks almost apologetically at Burt and Carole. “There are some fine model programs administered through universities in large cities, such as Columbia’s Trauma and PTSD Program.”

Burt nods faintly. “Okay, look, what I really need is for everybody to just state plainly what kind of care needs Finn is going to have on a daily basis and in the long term. Of course we want him to have access to a good program, but we also have to think about the day-to-day, and how well he’s going to be able to cope.”

“From my point of view, Finn will need to vigilant about keeping an inhaler with him,” Dr. Digby says. “Long-term, he will need to have his lung function monitored regularly, perhaps once a year.” 

“If I may interrupt here,” Pamela the nurse says. “What the nursing staff has observed from Finn is that he has a very high level of self-awareness in regards to missing information. It’s not so much that he can’t remember things, because he hasn’t had a problem remembering the nurses or any of the treatments he’s been receiving. It’s more like he has to be reminded that he knows something. If he has an anchor point for a memory, he seems to do an excellent job of filling in the details of that memory.”

“Other than removing his IV, have any of the nursing staff observed Finn being a danger to himself?” Kurt asks. 

“He’s become agitated a few times, but that seems to be abating as his physical health improves, and as his family has helped him start to fill in those holes in his memory,” Pamela says. “I think his awareness that he couldn’t remember was as distressing to him as anything else.”

“Thank you,” Kurt says, sitting back a little and then looking at Dr. Norris. “Dr. Norris, would you characterize patients with PTSD as unable to make decisions for themselves?”

“As a general rule? No,” Dr. Norris says. “On an individual level, I’d look at presentation of symptoms, comorbidity, response to treatment, living environment. I wouldn’t put a PTSD patient into an unstable home environment and then expect them to make life altering decisions, for example, but that’s not the same as saying they are legally or medically incapable of making decisions at all.”

“What about exposure to the site of the trauma?” Rachel asks. “Isn’t it helpful for many PTSD patients to avoid the location or circumstances that caused the initial trauma?”

“Well, many therapists do use exposure therapy as part of comprehensive treatment for PTSD,” Dr. Norris says. 

Kurt frowns. “Isn’t that very controlled?” 

“Oh yes, no reputable therapist would advocate thrusting a patient into a traumatic environment without tightly controlled exposure,” Dr. Norris says. “And no reputable therapist would advocate for the patient or anyone around him to toss the patient into the pool to teach him to swim, so to speak.”

“Rachel, Kurt, you can’t be suggesting that Lima itself should be avoided,” Carole says, frowning at them.

“I don’t want to go to Lima!” Finn suddenly says, his eyes a little wider than normal.

“We know, Finn. It’s all okay,” Rachel says. “Nobody is going to make you go anywhere you don’t want to go. We just need to find out what you need to get better.”

“I have concerns about Finn being required to be in a car in order to go anywhere, yes,” Kurt says. 

“That seems like a reasonable concern,” Pamela says. “Finn told me himself that he doesn’t ride in cars. He walks.” She smiles at Finn. “Granted, this was part of a conversation where he was trying to talk us into letting him walk around, rather than be confined to his bed with an IV and oxygen.”

“How do you feel about trains?” Kurt asks Finn. 

“Rachel,” Finn says.

“You feel ‘Rachel’ about trains?” Burt asks dubiously.

“I think about Rachel on trains,” Finn answers.

“How would you feel about riding on a train?” Kurt asks. “With Rachel, and with me?”

“To New York?” Finn asks.

“To New York, and within New York, yes.”

“I feel good about those trains,” Finn says. “I want to ride the train to New York with you and Rachel.”

“We want that, too,” Kurt says softly. 

“I see absolutely no reason why Finn shouldn’t be allowed to make his own decision about where to live once he’s released, then,” Rachel says. She tosses her hair and turns a beaming smile on Dr. Norris. “It sounds like you feel the same way, Dr. Norris.”

Kurt looks at Rachel proudly, trying not to smile too widely at her. Dr. Norris smiles back at Rachel, nodding his head. Next to Kurt, Burt sighs the sigh of a man who knows he has just been defeated by his passive-aggressive son and a girl with a pretty smile. 

“I could kiss you right now,” Kurt whispers across Finn to Rachel.

“Yes,” Finn says. “Do that.”

Rachel giggles and squeezes Finn’s hand. “Maybe after the meeting,” she says.

“Dr. Norris?” Kurt prompts, eyes artificially wide. 

“I concede that the young lady has a point,” Dr. Norris says. “Finn certainly seems capable of being the arbiter of his own life, especially if his health continues improving at the rate we’ve seen so far. That doesn’t mean I think that Finn is prepared to live independently as of this moment, however.”

“So Finn doesn’t need to live _alone_ , is your recommendation?” Kurt asks. 

“No, not for several months, probably longer, and possibly indefinitely,” Dr. Norris says. “Whether or not he’s prepared to live alone will be contingent on his longer-term recovery. It’s possible he’ll regain more or even all of his memory, but there’s no guarantee. He could have permanent memory gaps and sporadic lapses in cognizance.”

“I think we should be very explicit,” Carole says, touching Burt’s forearm. “Dr. Norris, Rachel and Kurt want Finn to live with them in New York. That’s what Finn says he wants as well. Is that advisable?”

“Say yes,” Finn says, staring Dr. Norris down. “You should say yes.”

“Shhh,” Kurt says, shaking his head and pressing his lips together so he doesn’t laugh.

“I won’t put shoes in the George Foreman grill,” Finn says, not looking at Kurt. “I know they don’t go there.”

“Might I point out that he did that long before there was any mention of head trauma?” Kurt says archly. 

“You remember that?” Carole says with a wide smile on her face. 

Finn’s forehead wrinkles and he gives Carole a dubious look in return. “Were you happy like this the first time? I don’t remember that. I think you were mad.”

Carole laughs. “Well, yes, I was at the time.”

“We know you won’t put shoes in the grill anymore,” Kurt assures Finn. 

“And actually, we don’t even have a George Foreman grill,” Rachel says. “We have a panini press.”

“What’s a panini press?” Finn asks.

“A snooty George Foreman grill,” Rachel admits.

“I won’t put shoes in that either,” Finn says.

Kurt hears a strange wheezing noise, and when he looks around, he realizes that Geraldine is laughing so hard that she’s having trouble breathing, and Jessica is offering her a bottle of water. Geraldine takes the water and drinks it, still gasping laughter between sips.

“Oh my,” Geraldine says, wiping her eyes. “Personally, I believe this boy is going to be just fine.”

“I do apologize, Dr. Norris,” Kurt says with a smile at Dr. Norris. 

“I’m sorry, Carole, could you repeat your question?” Dr. Norris says to Carole.

“Is it advisable for Finn to live in New York with Kurt and Rachel?” Carole says carefully.

“Professionally speaking, I don’t think that would be problematic. Finn is legally capable of giving informed consent in regards to his own treatment,” Dr. Norris says. “However, as a father myself, I understand your need to continue managing aspects of your son’s recovery. In either location, Finn will need regular neurological and psychiatric care for some time. In either location, he needs to be in a supportive and patient environment while he re-integrates into his normal life, or as close to it as possible.”

“Rachel and I do have something of a support system,” Kurt says. “We think Finn would be happy with us in New York.” He pauses. “When can Finn be discharged? Dr. Digby said for her, he could be released.”

“I would like appointments scheduled with a neurologist and a psychiatrist before Finn is discharged, so we’re all comfortable with the ongoing outpatient care he’ll be receiving,” Dr. Norris says. 

Kurt double-checks the time on his phone and sighs. “Naturally, it’s after the hours that we could schedule them,” he mutters. 

“I’ll put together a list of specialists I’d feel comfortable referring Finn to,” Dr. Norris continues. “Ananda, can you do the same?”

“Of course,” Dr. Digby says with a nod. “We can have those to you later today or in the morning.”

“As early as you can, please,” Rachel says, still smiling brilliantly in Dr. Norris’s direction. “We’d like a chance to speak to several doctors on the list, so we can find the best match for Finn.”

“Are you giving us referrals for New York _and_ Ohio?” Burt asks.

“Not Ohio,” Finn says. 

“Yes, we’ll put names for both areas on the list,” Dr. Norris says. “Does anyone have any additional questions?”

“Should Finn put the cannula back on when we return to the room?” Kurt asks Dr. Digby. 

Finn scowls at Kurt. “It goes up my nose. I don’t like it.”

Dr. Digby laughs and shakes her head. “No, as long as he doesn’t suffer any relapse, he’s free. No more cannula, Finn.”

“Good!” Finn says.

“Thank you all for coming,” Jessica says. “Finn, I’ll stop by before you leave to say good-bye, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Kurt stands, his hand on Finn’s arm. “Yes, thank you,” he says. “Ready to go to your room, Finn? It’s almost dinner, and I haven’t watched the news lately, either.”

“That’s an excellent idea, Kurt,” Carole says. “Sweetie, you can try some more food.”

“Can I try cake?”

“I think you already know you like cake, Finn,” Rachel says, linking her arm with Finn’s as they both stand. 

Carole laughs. “Maybe we can find a cake for breakfast tomorrow.” 

The trip back to Finn’s room goes a little more slowly, but not much more, and as Finn, Kurt, and Rachel settle on the bed, Kurt thinks about the fact that not having the IV or cannula makes it easier on the three of them. 

“Do you want to try Chinese food, Finn?” Carole asks.

“Do I like Chinese food?” Finn asks. 

“You like some kinds of it,” Rachel says. 

“I’m feeling a little railroaded here, still,” Burt complains. “And I’m still not sure that Dr. Norris really gave us a clear answer about where Finn _should_ live.”

“He was very good at not committing too strongly,” Kurt says. “I think Chinese food is a good idea, Carole.” 

“Burt, why don’t we go ask the nurses which Chinese restaurant they’d recommend,” Carole says, taking Burt’s arm and leading him out of the room. 

“Finn, do you think you would rather have chicken or shrimp?” Rachel asks.

“It’s after the meeting,” Finn says.

“That’s true,” Kurt says, feeling like he’s forgetting something.

“You said you could kiss Rachel. Rachel said after the meeting.”

“I said _maybe_ after the meeting!” Rachel protests.

“Maybe is now,” Finn says.

“Finn, are you saying that I _have_ to kiss Rachel now?” Kurt asks with some amusement.

“You don’t want to?”

Finn looks so puzzled that Kurt shakes his head and looks at Rachel. “Well, Bibi?”

“Why not?” Rachel says, leaning forward and offering Kurt her cheek. Kurt presses his lips softly against her cheek, smiling as he pulls back. Finn looks sadly at them, and Kurt raises his eyebrow. 

“What is it, Finn?”

“I don’t think you did that right,” Finn says. 

“I didn’t?” Kurt asks. “How should I have done it?”

Finn’s eyes roll and he lets out a small exasperated huff. He leans forward and gently presses his lips to Rachel’s, then as soon as he pulls away from her, he turns to Kurt and does the same to him. 

“There. Like that,” Finn says, sitting back again. 

Kurt can tell his mouth has fallen open, and he closes it slowly before turning to Rachel. “I suppose Finn showed us, didn’t he?” he says with a small smile before leaning forward and kissing Rachel just as Finn kissed each of them. 

Rachel giggles as Kurt pulls away again, her cheeks pink. “Was that better?” she asks Finn.

“Yes. Good job.” 

“Was there anything else you needed?” Kurt asks Finn, still smiling. 

Finn’s face falls back into the blank, totally naive look he’s been pulling to get his way. “One more.”

“Sneaky,” Kurt says, leaning in to kiss Rachel again. This time, he parts his lips slightly, brushing the tip of his tongue against her lips and making her jump a little before he pulls back. 

Rachel’s cheeks are even pinker this time, and while she giggles, fingertips pressed to her lips, Kurt notices that Finn’s cheeks have a little color on them as well. Kurt gestures at Rachel for her to kiss Finn, and she smiles as she leans up to kiss Finn again. Kurt watches them with a little smile, thinking about how many times in the past he’s seen them kissing, and how he never thought he’d see it happen again, only for it to be occurring right in front of him. This time when the kiss ends, Rachel’s cheeks aren’t pink but red, and Finn’s are a little pinker.

Kurt assumes that Finn is satisfied with the kissing, at least for the time being, but instead, Finn pulls Kurt in with one hand, his other hand holding Rachel’s, and Finn kisses Kurt again. This kiss is a little more intense and almost familiar, and then Kurt does his own jumping when Finn’s tongue touches his lips. 

“Chinese food will be here soon!” Carole’s voice suddenly says from the door, and Kurt pulls back abruptly, his hand going to his mouth before falling as he rapidly grabs Finn’s hand and attempts to look settled on the bed. 

“Oh, good,” Kurt says a few beats too late.

“Is everything okay, Kurt?” Burt asks.

“Everything’s fine,” Kurt says quickly, picking up the remote. “Let’s all watch the news.”

“Ugh. Do we have to?” Rachel says, settling against Finn’s side. “It’s so depressing.”

“I haven’t watched the news in a few days,” Kurt says, flipping through the channels and looking at the channel card until he stops. “There, it should be starting in just a moment.”

A few commercials play before the news begins, and Kurt can feel himself getting progressively colder as he listens to the words the anchor is saying in voiceover. 

“Back from the dead, right here in Philadelphia,” she says. “A US Congressman’s son, thought dead two years ago in Ohio, turns up alive and well – and is our beloved John Doe.”


	7. Chapter 7

  
As the news anchor’s voiceover continues, one of the pictures of Finn from the earlier news story flashes across the screen, and Kurt can feel his jaw tighten. “ _How_?” he demands angrily. “Dad, if someone in your office leaked this…”

“I’m on television,” Finn notes, not sounding distressed or even more than mildly interested.

“Son, if someone in my office leaked this, you won’t have to,” Burt promises, immediately pulling out his phone and punching a number. “Yeah, Britta, it’s Burt. Find out who on staff shared confidential information about my family with the news, will you?” He puts his hand over the phone. “What station is it?”

“WCAW,” Kurt says. “That’s a picture of the area near the elevators!”

“Shouldn’t they have better security?” Carole says, going to the door and pushing it firmly closed.

“Yeah. WCAW,” Burt says into the phone. “I expect a call back within the next fifteen minutes. I don’t care where they are.” He finishes the call and shoves his phone back into his pants pocket. 

“Do you want me to turn this off, Finn?” Kurt asks. He thinks they need to know what it says, but he can look it up on his laptop while Finn naps, if necessary. 

Finn shrugs, watching the screen with the same expression he used to have when he watched nature programs and was afraid the baby gazelle might get eaten. 

“—are unsure how Mr. Hudson ended up in the Philadelphia area. When we tried to reach his family, we were unable to get a comment.”

“They didn’t try to get a comment at all!” Carole says. 

“Maybe the hospital told them no comment?” Rachel guesses. 

“We barely got twenty-four hours,” Kurt says with a sigh. The story finally changes, though the anchor promises that they will return to it within the half-hour. He turns to Finn, who looks like he’s slightly spaced-out again. “Finn?” he says softly.

“Yes, that’s me,” Finn says.

Kurt takes Finn’s hand and lies back, resting his head on Finn’s shoulder. “We’ll go home soon,” he says softly. “You and me and Rachel. And you won’t be on the news.”

“Okay,” Finn says, his voice just above a whisper. “Thanks.”

There’s a long story about the Philadelphia City Schools, and then one about corruption in the city government starts just a few seconds before Kurt’s phone starts to vibrate, and he answers it without looking at the display. “Hello?”

“Kurt?” Blaine is on the other end, sounding upset and almost out of breath. 

Kurt pulls the phone away, checking the display needlessly, and then puts his phone back to his ear. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I just saw a story on the news. I’m not sure how grounded in reality it actually is, so I wanted to warn you not to let Rachel watch,” Blaine says.

“Oh.” Kurt looks at Finn and back at the television, taking a deep breath before responding. “If it’s about Philadelphia, it’s pretty well grounded in reality.”

“Really?!?”

“Rachel and I are in Philadelphia. The announcement wasn’t supposed to be made until tomorrow, but the story apparently leaked,” Kurt explains, then covers the phone. “Finn, do you mind saying hi to a friend of mine? You don’t have to talk to him, just say hi or something else where he can hear you.”

“Okay,” Finn says. 

“Hang on a second, Blaine,” Kurt says into the phone, then holds the phone in front of Finn and nods. 

“Hello, friend of Kurt’s,” Finn says loudly.

“See?” Kurt says, putting the phone back to his ear.

“I still can’t believe it,” Blaine says. “How did this happen? Is Rachel ecstatic? How is he?”

“They made a mistake,” Kurt says simply. “Things aren’t perfect, of course, but he’s doing well at recalling some things and people. I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to call you before the news broke the story. We thought we’d have this evening and tomorrow morning, still.” 

“I understand completely,” Blaine says. “And I know you’d never say it, but I was wrong. I thought you needed to let go and move on, but now I’m glad you didn’t.”

“Thank you,” Kurt says after a few seconds. He clears his throat. “If we need anything, can I text you?” he says finally, glancing briefly at Burt and Carole. 

“Of course! Anything you need. Is he coming back to New York with you?”

“That’s our hope, yes. There’s still some… discussion,” Kurt says. 

“Should I let people know?” Blaine asks.

“Yes, please,” Kurt says. “We called Mr. Schuester this morning, and Quinn and Puck in Germany, but that’s all.” Like Kurt had thought earlier, Blaine probably has all the necessary numbers and some Kurt and Rachel wouldn’t even think to look for. 

“Let me know what we can do. Give Finn my love!”

“I will. Thanks, Blaine,” Kurt says, ending the call and setting down his phone quietly, then turning off the television. 

“Burt, I think you and I should go wait at the elevators for the food,” Carole says, frowning at the now-off television. 

“I agree. I haven’t gotten that call back yet, so I think I need to start phoning around and chewing some asses,” Burt says.

Kurt waits until the door closes again, then turns to Finn. “Finn, do you remember Blaine?”

Finn’s brow wrinkles and he doesn’t make eye contact with Kurt. “No.”

“Finn!” Rachel says. “Yes, you do. I can tell that you do! Why are you lying?”

“No,” Finn says firmly. “I said I don’t.”

“Hmmm.” Kurt raises an eyebrow. “How about… Sam?”

“I don’t want to remember right now,” Finn grumbles. “I just want to do what we’re doing.”

“Still stubborn,” Kurt says. “What are we doing, Finn?”

“This.”

“Just sitting together on the bed?”

“I like it like this,” Finn says. “I don’t want it to be some other way. I don’t want to remember any more people.”

“Okay,” Kurt agrees. 

“Oh, Finn,” Rachel sighs. 

“I thought we could get people to move furniture for us,” Kurt says to Rachel. “Maybe they’ll even do our breakfast dishes from the other day.”

“Ew! I bet those smell so bad!” Rachel says, wrinkling up her nose. “But it’s true, we’ve been set up for just two for a while now.”

“Finn, what colors do you like best?” Kurt asks. 

“No, I’m done now,” Finn says.

“Okay. I’ll just order clothes we want to see on you, then,” Kurt says calmly. 

“Okay,” Finn says.

“Maybe some nice sport coats,” Rachel suggests. “Do you think he would look good in vests?”

“Sweater or waistcoat?” Kurt asks. 

“Oh, waistcoat, of course!” Rachel says.

“Well, I think he certainly wore them well at Nationals both years,” Kurt says. 

“We should dress him up and take him out,” Rachel says. “Since he likes to dance so much.”

“No,” Finn says. “I like to dance with _you_ , and I like to dance with _Kurt_.”

“You could dance with us… out,” Rachel teases, smiling up at Finn with her chin resting on his chest.

“It’s true,” Kurt says. “I’m sure we could find a lovely venue for dancing.” 

“Dancing and nice clothes,” Rachel agrees. “And one of us on each arm?”

“Okay,” Finn says, almost grudgingly.

“Do you want us to ask your mom and my dad to leave after we eat?” Kurt says. “It’s been a very long day for all of us.”

“I’m tired. I want to sleep without nose tubes,” Finn says.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Kurt says, sitting up as the door creaks open. He relaxes when he sees that it’s just Burt and Carole returning with the food. 

“We’ve got all sorts of food,” Carole announces. “Everyone can have a little of everything.” She unpacks the bags and then hands them empty plates. “Rachel, there’s a tofu dish as well as stir-fried vegetables as a side.”

“Thank you, Carole! Finn, did you want to try some tofu?”

“Do I like tofu?” Finn asks.

“You didn’t before,” Kurt says, smiling at Rachel, “but if Rachel will try some of the shrimp, you and I can try some of her tofu, right?”

“Okay,” Finn says. “But she doesn’t eat meat.”

Kurt puts his hand over his mouth, appalled at his own brain, and then picks up two of the plates. “We’ll just try a little of everything, then?” he says, his voice light. 

After their plates are piled high, they all sit down again. Rachel nibbles at the shrimp on her plate, looking almost giddy at her own daring, and Finn has the reaction to sweet ’n’ sour chicken that Kurt had expected – letting it fall out of his mouth almost immediately, which causes Rachel to make a face and exclaim, “Ew! Finnnnnn!”

“I don’t like it,” Finn says.

“Spit it into a napkin!”

“I didn’t spit it. I just stopped trying to eat it,” Finn says. Kurt stifles a laugh at Finn’s attempt to be sneaky, shaking his head as he decides for the tenth or twelfth time that he really only likes tofu in soups. Finn, however, seems to have developed a taste for it, because after he eats all of the tofu on his plate, he eats the rest of Kurt’s, and then gazes longingly at Rachel’s plate.

“No, you big bum! Go get your own!” Rachel says.

“I have pneumonia,” Finn says, in the innocent and vague voice that Kurt is now certain is about ninety-nine percent con.

“You don’t even have to wear the cannula anymore,” Rachel counters. “In New York, you can’t eat off my plate.”

“Is there a law?” Finn asks.

“Yes,” Rachel says. “There _is_.”

“I think you’re lying. Kurt, is she lying? I think she makes that face when she lies,” Finn says. “I remember that face.”

Kurt starts laughing. “I think he’s got you there, Bibi.”

“Oh, _fine_ , here!” Rachel says, scraping the rest of her tofu onto Finn’s plate. “I’m going to eat the rest of the carton, though.”

“Okay. Thank you!” Finn says. Kurt grins at Rachel, who looks equally excited by the lack of monotone ‘thanks’.

“Dad, Carole, I think we’re going to get ready for the night as soon as we finish eating,” Kurt says while he’s still grinning. 

“I can stay here tonight,” Carole offers. “Let the two of you get some sleep in a real bed instead of sharing that small chair.”

“Mom, I can’t get lost again. I have a bracelet,” Finn says, holding up his hand and displaying the hospital ID band.

“We’re fine,” Kurt says. “We’ll stay.” 

“If you’re sure,” Carole says dubiously. “If you change your mind, even in the middle of the night, just let me know.”

“I can see you tomorrow, Mom! Goodnight!”

Carole laughs. “Do you think that’s our cue, Burt?”

“I guess so,” Burt says, chuckling. “We’ll see you in the morning, kids.”

Once Burt and Carole leave, Kurt stacks the little bit of remaining food, then finds the scrubs they had requested, since neither he nor Rachel has pajamas. Rachel’s are too big and Kurt’s are a little short, but they are still more comfortable than sleeping in their clothes. Kurt closes the door firmly, pulls the privacy curtain around from the wall, and turns out the light before settling on the bed with Finn and Rachel. 

“I’m so glad we found you, Finn,” Kurt whispers. 

“Me too,” Finn answers sleepily.

“Good night, Finn. Good night, Rachel,” Kurt says, trying not to yawn as he closes his eyes. “Love you.”

Kurt falls asleep so fast that when he wakes up, hearing a nurse checking something, he almost starts to complain about not letting them get to sleep. He realizes a few seconds later that he has been asleep, and he relaxes again. Finn’s arm is around him, and as Kurt blinks in the dark, he can see Finn’s other arm wrapped around Rachel, who looks more peaceful than Kurt can remember seeing her look for a long time. He almost wants to kiss her again, and he smiles a little as he looks up at Finn. 

“Hi,” he whispers as soon as he realizes Finn is also awake, his eyes very clear and watching Kurt. 

“Hi,” Finn whispers back. “You’re Kurt. She’s Rachel. I’m Finn. I’m not lost. We’re going home to New York.”

“All correct,” Kurt agrees. “And we love you.”

“And I love you,” Finn says. “I want to kiss you more.”

“What about Rachel?” Kurt asks softly.

“I want to kiss Rachel more, too, but she’s asleep.”

“Oh. I suppose that does make sense,” Kurt says, then sighs. “Finn… I need to tell you something.”

“Okay, but I should kiss you first,” Finn says. Instead of waiting for a response, Finn pulls Kurt to him and presses his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt mentally sighs and kisses Finn back, and when Kurt first tries to pull away, Finn doesn’t let him, kissing him like someone who definitely remembers how to properly kiss someone else. 

“Oh,” Kurt says quietly, feeling a little flustered as the kiss ends. “I _really_ should explain something to you, Finn.”

“Okay,” Finn says. “Then I should kiss you more.”

“The thing is… before you were lost, we didn’t really have a kissing kind of relationship,” Kurt tries to explain. “We were more like brothers.”

“You don’t want me to kiss you more?”

“I don’t want you to do anything under false pretenses,” Kurt says. “You like girls.”

“Yeah. I like Rachel,” Finn agrees. “I love Rachel.”

“Right,” Kurt says. “Not boys.”

“I like you,” Finn says.

“You didn’t before, not this kind of like,” Kurt says. 

“I didn’t like barbeque chips before, or tofu,” Finn counters. “But I like them.”

“So your argument is that you are now… bisexual?” Kurt asks. 

“Are we arguing?”

“Well, no, not really. I’m just trying to understand,” Kurt says.

“I don’t think I have an argument,” Finn says. “I just love you. I love you and I love Rachel and I want all of us to be together and be happy.”

“I want us to be happy, too,” Kurt says. “But you understand that this is different than how it was?”

“I don’t like how it was. I was in Lima, like the bean, and you were in New York. You were there and I wasn’t there. I don’t want it like that.”

Kurt nods silently, then exhales. “Okay,” he says to Finn. “I understand.”

“If you don’t want me to kiss you, I won’t, though,” Finn says. “You can still kiss Rachel. I’ll still kiss Rachel, too.”

Kurt laughs quietly. “What do you think, Finn?” Kurt says teasingly. “Do you think I want you to kiss me?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Do I sound like someone who wants you to kiss me?” Kurt asks in the same tone of voice. 

“You sound like Kurt,” Finn says. “If Kurt is someone who wants me to kiss him, then yes.”

“Just kiss him already so I can go back to sleep,” Rachel mumbles.

Kurt laughs again. “You heard her.”

“Yes, and I’ll kiss her a lot when she’s not sleeping, too,” Finn says, pulling Kurt back to him again. There is progressively more tongue involvement with each kiss, and Kurt can hear himself making a somewhat embarrassing squeaking noise mid-kiss. He grabs onto the front of Finn’s hospital-issue gown, and when they separate, Kurt feels mostly breathless. 

“Oh,” he says. “That’s— that was—”

“Did you like me like this before?” Finn asks, also sounding like he can’t quite catch his breath.

“Yes, and no,” Kurt says candidly, “but there was never really a time I would have turned you down.” 

“And you loved me?”

“Yes, Finn. And I do love you.”

“And you love Rachel?”

“Yes, I love her, too. You two are my family.”

“The kind of family that kisses?” Finn asks.

Kurt laughs softly. “Yes, I suppose we are.”

“We love you, Finn,” Rachel mumbles. “And we love each other and we’ll still all love each other in the morning if you go back to sleep.”

“Okay,” Finn says.

“I think she wants us to sleep,” Kurt says dryly. “Good night, you two.”

“’Night,” Rachel says.

“I love you,” Finn says, holding both of them a little tighter.

Kurt wakes up early again, still being held by Finn, and when he wiggles to look at the time on his phone, it confirms Kurt’s thoughts: not quite six am. He considers slipping out of bed to shower, like he had the previous day, or waking up Rachel to give her and her much-longer hair a chance to go first, but instead he congratulates himself on leaving the blinds open, so he has enough light to study Rachel and Finn. 

Both of them are sleeping peacefully, no worry showing in their faces, and Kurt can feel himself smiling widely at them. What he told Finn the night before was absolutely true: they are his family. Yes, kissing Rachel more intimately is a little odd, but Kurt knows if he were ever going to kiss a girl in that manner, it would be Rachel, and he does absolutely love her. 

The two of them do need to discuss what instructions to send to Blaine and Sam and possibly Santana, regarding rearranging the loft, and it’s that thought flickering across his mind that makes him reach across Finn and run his hand down Rachel’s arm. 

“Rise and shine,” Kurt says quietly. 

“Already?” Rachel whines. 

“I thought we should talk logistics before Finn wakes up,” Kurt explains, voice still low. He puts his hand on Rachel’s and then picks it up. “He clearly doesn’t want to discuss Blaine, either.”

“That was so strange. I wonder why?” Rachel asks. 

“I don’t know. As far as I know, they didn’t have any difficulty when Finn was helping direct glee club Blaine’s senior year,” Kurt says, barely shrugging his shoulders. 

“Other than the time Blaine hurt you, Finn hasn’t had anything bad to say about him since we moved to New York,” Rachel says. “Do you think it’s possible he remembers how upset you were about Blaine’s infidelity, but not the resolution of any of it?”

“I suppose that’s possible,” Kurt concedes. “Maybe we can ask him again today or in a few days.” Kurt shrugs again. “I was thinking perhaps for the time being we might want to rearrange the entire loft?”

Rachel nods. “How should we change it? Finn will need a sleeping space, storage for the clothes we’re going to buy him.”

“Do you think he’s going to sleep anywhere without us?” Kurt asks pointedly. 

“Should we encourage him to try?” Rachel ask, propping her chin on still-sleeping Finn’s chest. “Set the beds up close to each other and, I don’t know, do like my dads did me with, and move his bed one extra foot away every night?”

“I don’t know,” Kurt says, frowning. “It hardly seems like the area to worry about in terms of independence, you know?”

“You just like having us both in your bed,” Rachel teases. 

“Oh, and you hate it?” Kurt says archly. 

“I just didn’t know you were into that,” she says. “You seemed to enjoy the kissing last night.”

“I don’t know. It’s _you_ ,” Kurt says. 

“I think you want to sex me up,” Rachel says, making a dramatically pouty faux-sexy face at Kurt. “I’m your forbidden love.” 

“Eww,” Kurt teases, wrinkling his nose. 

“It’s wrong but it feels so right,” Rachel purrs at him, then starts giggling. “I’m sorry! I can’t!”

Kurt laughs quietly. “Is it just me, or do you half-expect him to announce to my dad and Carole that the three of us are the kind of family that kisses?”

“At this point, I believe anything is possible,” Rachel says. “Am I supposed to be jealous, though? Because I’m not, not at all, but…”

“I don’t know, Bibi,” Kurt admits. “I think we’re in unprecedented territory, so… maybe however we feel is fine.” 

“I guess it’s just that the only person in the world I would ever want to share him with is you, and the only person in the world I’d want to share you with is him,” Rachel says. 

“Yes.” Kurt nods. “Which is why I was thinking one bed, and until he’s completely over the pneumonia, in the main area, so he can rest and watch television or movies.”

“And only those things,” Rachel adds, smiling.

“Only,” Kurt repeats solemnly. “We can use one of the partitioned areas for storage, and the other for a quiet place to study, maybe.”

“That would be nice,” Rachel says. “I still can’t believe this is happening. We’re really all going to be together in New York like I always wanted us to be.”

“I know.” Kurt squeezes her hand. “I guess there really are some happy endings.” He pauses and then groans. “Sorry!”

“Kurt!” Rachel squeals, which causes Finn to lift his head from the pillow, looking confused.

“Hi?” Finn says.

“Good morning, Finn,” Rachel says, propping herself up on her elbow to give Finn a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Yeah, I’m Finn,” Finn says. “Rachel. Kurt. New York.” He gives both of them the genuine Finn-smile. “Today?”

“Let’s hope so,” Kurt says. “Sleep well?”

Finn nods. “Did Mom bring the cake yet?”

“The cake?” Rachel asks.

“The cake for breakfast,” Finn says. “She said we could have cake for breakfast.”

“It’s not breakfast time yet,” Kurt says. “Carole and my dad haven’t gotten here yet. We should all probably shower before breakfast, though.”

“I think we’ll have to take turns. It looks small,” Finn says. Rachel starts to giggle, her facing turning pink. 

Kurt nods, managing to keep a straight face. “We should let Rachel go first, so her hair can start to dry,” he says to Finn. “Don’t you think?”

“Okay. Do you have the green kind of shampoo?” Finn asks. “She likes the green kind.”

“I didn’t bring any shampoo or anything with me,” Kurt admits. “Rachel, did you pack your shampoo?”

“I didn’t even think about it,” Rachel says. 

“We’ll all make do with hospital-issue, then,” Kurt says, making a face. 

“I’ll survive,” Rachel says, standing up and stretching before she walks to her totebag and retrieves a change of clothes. “I don’t have any more clothes after this, so we either need to get Finn out of here, or I need to find a laundromat.”

“I think we’d all prefer the former,” Kurt says. “I’ll at least get the two of us some coffee while Finn showers. Finn, do you want some hot chocolate or hot tea, perhaps?”

“Do I like those?”

“You might,” Kurt points out. “You like, what was it? Barbeque chips and tofu?”

“And you,” Finn says. “And Rachel, too, but I always did.”

“Very true.” Kurt smiles. “You always liked pepperoni, too, by the way. So not everything has changed, but not everything is the same, either. So we’ll see if you like hot chocolate or hot tea _now_.”

“I’ll leave you some hot water,” Rachel calls over her shoulder as she closes the bathroom door behind her.

“We appreciate it!” Kurt calls back, shaking his head and then leaning it on Finn’s shoulder. “Anything you want to talk about?”

“Brothers,” Finn says.

“Oh?” Kurt says. “I assume you mean specifically, not the general concept.”

“You said we were like brothers before,” Finn says. “That’s because of my mom and your dad, right?”

“Right. Do you remember the wedding?” Kurt asks. 

Finn nods. “Where we danced.”

“Yes. We did dance there. It was a very nice day, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, it was a nice day. We were brothers then, right?”

“Right. Does that bother you?” Kurt asks curiously. “That it’s different?”

Finn’s forehead wrinkles and he squints, looking deep in thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No. People can be different things. That’s okay, I think.”

“Okay. As long as it doesn’t bother us, it’s okay,” Kurt says. “Do you have any other things you’d like to talk about?”

“Why was I still in Lima, like the bean?” Finn asks.

Kurt sighs. “The short answer is that you were in college there. The longer answer is that you, me, and Rachel each only applied to one college initially, and only Rachel was accepted.”

“You went to New York,” Finn points out.

“You’re right, I did, a few months after Rachel,” Kurt says, nodding. “I didn’t start college right away, though. I took an internship and reapplied to college.”

“Why didn’t I go, too?”

“That’s a complicated question. The short answer is that you were doing other things, including helping with the glee club at our high school,” Kurt says. 

“But I missed you and Rachel,” Finn says.

“We missed you too. But we don’t have to miss each other anymore. Right?”

“Right,” Finn says. “What happened to the glee club?”

“Well, they went on to Nationals,” Kurt says. “Just like we did. Do you remember winning in Chicago?”

Finn pauses, then nods. “But we were in New York first.”

“Yes, our junior year. That was fun, wasn’t it?”

“I was a dinosaur,” Finn says.

Kurt starts to laugh. “Not just any dinosaur. T. rex.”

“Why is the T. rex eating the Jew, right?”

Kurt keeps laughing as he nods. “Yeah, that’s right,” he says. 

“What’s so funny?” Rachel asks, popping her head out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair.

“Why is the T. rex eating the Jew?” he asks her with a grin. 

Rachel huffs and closes the bathroom door, then reappears a few seconds later with no towel. “Did you tell him about that?” she asks Kurt.

“I didn’t have to,” Kurt says smugly. 

“You remember when Kurt told us about that?” Rachel asks Finn. He nods. “Do you remember why?”

“I kissed you in New York,” Finn says. “We weren’t the top ten.”

“That’s right! But we were the next year.” Rachel smiles and sits next to Finn on the bed. “Did you want the next shower?”

Kurt watches Finn’s face immediately fall into his fake blank face, which means whatever Finn’s about to say next, he definitely wants something as a result. 

“I think I need help,” Finn says.

“Finn!” Rachel exclaims. “No you do not!”

“I do! I don’t know how to do the knobs!”

“Really, Finn?” Kurt asks. “I know you used the sink knobs several times yesterday.”

“The shower knobs are on the wall, and my hair is really high up, so probably I need help,” Finn insists.

“Why don’t you see how much you can manage without help?” Kurt says.

Finn’s blank face droops into a sad face, which looks equally fake. “But I’ll be all alone.”

“Finn Hudson, go take your shower,” Rachel orders. “Nobody’s helping you, unless you want us to get one of the nurses.”

“No!” Finn says, putting up his hands. “No nurse! I’m good!”

“Then go,” Kurt says, poking him gently. “You have to be clean on your own so no one thinks you need help.” 

“But what if I _like_ help?” Finn asks.

“Then…” Rachel turns a little pink. “We’ll help you in New York.”

Finn smiles widely at Rachel. “Okay. That’s good.”

“Go,” Kurt says, shaking his head and smiling. “The quicker you go, the quicker you can be done.”

“I’ll be very quick,” Finn says. He stands and walks into the bathroom, the shower starting shortly thereafter.

“I guess he figured out how to work the knobs,” Rachel says.

“I suppose so,” Kurt agrees, rolling onto his back. “Do you want me to go get our coffee now or after my shower?”

“I think the sooner, the better. That way, you’ll be back when Finn gets out.”

Kurt nods, rolling off the bed and stretching. “Do you think there’s…” He looks around the room and finally finds a hospital-issue robe, which he ties over the scrubs. “It’s not even 6:30,” he says. “At least if there are paparazzi, they’ll think I’m just another patient.”

“Well, you’re very stylish for a patient,” Rachel says. “I’m not sure if it’s the robe or the three inches of bare ankle that really makes the look.”

Kurt very slowly sticks his tongue out at Rachel as he picks up his wallet and phone. “I’ll hide your hairbrush,” he threatens.

“That’ll make the photographs they aren’t supposed to be taking just that much more attractive,” Rachel says, sticking her tongue out at Kurt in return.

“Not everyone can look like a million dollars straight out of bed,” Kurt says, waving over his shoulder as he slips out of the room. He does get a few strange looks, and when he gets to the lobby, he can see four or five news trucks parked outside. He sighs and heads to the coffee cart, ordering Finn two kinds of tea and a hot chocolate. 

“Do they ever take a break?” Kurt asks the coffee cart person, gesturing to the news trucks. 

“Hmm?” The guy shakes his head. “Not all at once.”

“Lovely.” Kurt accept the offered drink carrier and heads back up to the room. The shower is still running when he pushes the door open, and he kicks it closed behind him. “Coffee time, Bibi.”

“Bless you,” Rachel says. “I’m not sure Finn is ever coming out, though. Maybe he really did forget how to work the knobs.”

Kurt sets the carrier down, handing Rachel her coffee. “Or he doesn’t want to be cold when he gets out?” Kurt suggests, walking to the door and knocking on it before cracking it open. “Finn?” Steam billows out into Kurt’s face, and he blinks a few times. 

“Yes. I am Finn!” Finn replies. 

“Are you almost finished?” Kurt asks.

“No, because I probably still need help!”

“No, you don’t, Finn,” Kurt says patiently. “I promise we’ll help you when we get home. For now, you should come try the hot chocolate. I got you two kinds of hot tea, too.”

“You have to close the door so the steam doesn’t get away,” Finn says.

“Two minutes, I still have to shower!” Kurt says, closing the door. 

“Five minutes!” Finn’s muffled shout comes through the door.

“We’re making him shower at night when we get home,” Kurt says to Rachel, picking up his coffee and sitting down on the bed next to her. 

“Well, he did say he needed help,” Rachel says, smiling. “That’s one way to economize our hot water usage.”

“True,” Kurt says, taking a sip of his coffee. “He has to shower at night unless one of us is helping, then.” 

The bathroom door opens, a huge cloud of steam rolling into the room with Finn behind it, shirtless and wearing the sweatpants from Rachel. “Kurt’s turn,” Finn says.

“Oh my,” Kurt says, looking at Finn and not moving. “Well, that’s more partially naked man than I’ve seen at such close range in months.”

“Oh.” Finn looks down at himself. “The hospital gown was kind of gross.”

“I was _not_ complaining,” Kurt says. “Just trying to be informative.” 

Rachel clears her throat. “Kurt? Weren’t you supposed to be taking a shower?”

“Party pooper,” Kurt mutters, setting down his coffee and standing up. “Finn, your teas and hot chocolates are right here, and I had them write what each one was on the lid.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you which one I like when you get out of the shower,” Finn says. He passes Kurt and sits down on the bed next to Rachel.

Kurt walks sideways to the tote bag, getting out his last change of clothes as well, then continues walking sideways to the bathroom, his eyes mostly on Finn and a little bit on Rachel watching Finn, until he has to close the door, trapping him with all of Finn’s steam. 

He turns on the water and steps into the shower, and he forces himself to think about what they need to do that morning, making a mental list. That lasts for about a minute before he gives in and lets his mind wander, to the conversations he’s had with Rachel and with Finn, to Finn wanting their ‘help’ in the shower, and to the simple fact that Finn is, in fact, sitting out on the bed without a shirt.


	8. Chapter 8

  
All things considered, Kurt decides his best course of action is to take a quick shower, pull on the pants and undershirt he brought into the bathroom, and leave off the sweater until later. That is exactly what he does, toweling his hair dry as best as he can before opening the bathroom door and walking towards the bed. 

“What do you like?” Kurt asks, retrieving his coffee and settling down beside Finn on the bed. 

“This one,” Finn says, holding up a cup.

“That’s the Earl Grey,” Rachel says. “He put some sugar in it.”

“I think it needs milk, though,” Finn says. 

“How British of you,” Kurt says, wiggling a little to get comfortable. “Instead of the sugar, or in addition to the sugar?” 

“Both, I think.”

“Hmm, you’re fond of having your cake and eating it too, now, aren’t you?” Kurt asks, smiling a little.

“The cake isn’t here yet,” Finn says, shaking his head. 

“That wasn’t quite what I meant,” Kurt says, switching his coffee to his other hand and letting his hand drop onto Finn’s chest. “We’re all clean and caffeinated, whatever shall we do?” he says lightly, then laughs. “Besides wait for cake.”

“I might go see if I can get Finn a shirt,” Rachel says. “I don’t think he needs another hospital gown. There has to be something else he could wear.”

“Maybe a stylish commemorative T-shirt or hoodie?” Kurt says. “I think the gift shop opens at seven, if they don’t have anything else up here.”

“Do you think you boys will survive without me?”

“Only for a short while,” Kurt says with a smile. 

“I’ll be right back,” Rachel says. She gives Finn a quick kiss, then leans over to give Kurt one as well, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

“So Earl Grey, then?” Kurt says to Finn. “We don’t have to get sugar cubes, do we?”

“Packets are fine,” Finn says.

‘That’s good, because I don’t think we own any sugar tongs,” Kurt admits. “If you think you want to walk that much, we’ll go grocery shopping when we get home, and you can pick out things to try. If you don’t want to walk, we’ll guess until you feel up to walking.”

“I want to walk. I used to walk a lot. I walked for a really long time,” Finn says.

Kurt nods. “You know, I’m glad you walked,” he says. “Because you made it to Philadelphia, and that meant that you were close to us in New York.” 

“I wanted to be in New York, but it was so far away.”

“I know. We’ll take a train the rest of the way.” Kurt takes Finn’s hand in his and squeezes it. “Everyone will be where they’re supposed to be.” Kurt looks up at Finn and smiles, tilting his face up slightly.

Finn seems to get the hint, because he leans down, kissing Kurt just like he did in the middle of the night, only Kurt doesn’t have anything to grab onto. He thinks distantly that the T-shirt is a good idea if Finn’s going to keep kissing him like _this_ , intense and long. Kurt pulls away long enough to take a deep breath, then puts his mouth back on Finn’s. Finn’s fingers push through Kurt’s hair, holding the two of them in place, and Kurt flexes his fingers on Finn’s chest. When they do stop kissing, Kurt drops his head onto Finn’s chest. 

“Yeah, some changes are really good,” Kurt says. 

“It was our turn,” Finn says. “Me and Rachel had our turn while you were in the shower.”

Kurt nods, because that does make a certain amount of sense. “You do realize your mom and my dad are going to be surprised?” he says. “It’s not a problem, but their reactions may be funny.”

“Will they be mad?”

“I don’t think so, no,” Kurt says. “Like I said, just surprised.” At least, Kurt doesn’t think they’ll be mad at Finn, which is the important part. Kurt assumes there’s at least some possibility his dad will think he’s taking advantage of Finn, or possibly horning in on Finn and Rachel’s relationship, but Finn doesn’t need to worry about that. 

“Am I supposed to tell them?” Finn asks.

“There’s no supposed to,” Kurt says. “If you want to, that’s fine, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine, too.”

“Maybe I should go to New York first, just in case,” Finn says.

Kurt nods. “Okay. Then why don’t you kiss me one more time, and I’ll kiss you as soon as we get off the train in New York?”

“Okay. That sounds good,” Finn says. He pulls Kurt to him for another kiss, and now each kiss seems to have more intent behind it, Kurt pressing against Finn’s body and feeling it warm and solid through the thin cotton of his undershirt. The two of them separate just as Rachel returns, and Kurt shift his position slightly, his head leaning on Finn’s shoulder still. 

“Did you have any success?” he asks Rachel. 

“I did!” Rachel says, holding up a blue shirt with ‘Jefferson Hospital’ emblazoned across the shirt. “What do you think, Finn? Better than a gown?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a lot better than a gown,” Finn says. He takes the shirt from Rachel, then gives her a quick kiss before he pulls the shirt over his head. 

“Good morning!” Carole’s voice calls from the door. “I have cake!”

“There you go, Finn,” Kurt says. “Cake.”

“I like Earl Grey tea,” Finn announces.

“He’s very worldly now,” Rachel says. “Very refined tastes.”

“Well, the cake says ‘Congratulations on the New Job’,” Carole admits as she sets it down. “The bakery wasn’t open yet technically.” 

“I think it sounds much better than that thing the hospital claimed was an omelet,” Kurt says. 

“What’s my new job?” Finn asks. “Can I be a cake tester? I’d like that job. That would be a good job, I think.”

“For now your job is to finish getting over the pneumonia,” Kurt says. “You can worry about refining your palate to be a taste-tester after that.”

“You can just focus on being a New York resident as your new job,” Rachel suggests.

Carole laughs and opens the plastic slicer from the bakery, slicing huge pieces of cake and handing them out. “Enjoy,” she says to Finn. “We can always get more cake later if we eat all of this one.” 

Everyone falls silent as they eat, and Kurt thinks that perhaps it’s very appropriate to have cake, and probably best that no one had to think of what to write on it. When Kurt finishes his first slice, he stands, walking over to the cake and starting to cut second slices for everyone. 

“Did the list of referrals from Doctors Norris and Digby make it yet?” Kurt asks, mostly looking at Burt. Even with using the doctors’ names to help them get appointments, Kurt assumes it could take most of the morning to decide and schedule the appointments, especially if they refrain from explaining precisely who Finn is. 

“Oh, yeah, we did get that,” Burt says. “They had it up at the nurse’s station, flagged us down on the way in.”

Kurt puts a slice of cake on his plate and then pivots away from the cake. “May I see it, please?” he says, extending his free hand in Burt’s direction.

“Sure,” Burt says. “Looked like a lot of options in both locations.” He pulls the list out of his pocket and hands it to Kurt. 

Kurt scans the list as he sits back on the bed, frowning. “In greater Ohio, yes, but the options are more limited in Lima. And there’s that program Dr. Digby mentioned, or at least I assume that’s it – the Trauma and PTSD Program at Columbia.” Kurt finishes looking over the list and hands it to Rachel, then looks at Burt. “We can start calling in another hour.”

“And we can at least _talk_ to a few places in Ohio,” Burt says. 

“No-hio!” Finn says. Rachel covers up her giggle by eating another forkful of cake.

Kurt smiles at Finn and then looks back at Burt. “If you want to waste your time, Dad, that’s up to you.” 

“It doesn’t hurt for us to find someone in the Lima area for just in case,” Burt says. 

“For visits?” Kurt asks, taking a bite of his second slice. 

“Or if the situation changes, and he needs to relocate to Lima for a longer period of time,” Burt counters.

“For visits,” Kurt says firmly. “What else do we need to do before leaving Philadelphia? Finn, is there anything you want or need?”

“Socks.”

“Rachel or I will find you some socks and some shoes or boots before we leave,” Kurt says, nodding. “That’s a good idea. Rachel, do you have any thoughts about the list?”

“I’ll start calling neurologists, if you start with the psychiatrists, and then we’ll do general practitioners on speakerphone together,” Rachel says.

“Anyone who recognizes his name and mentions the news is off the list automatically, I think,” Kurt says, nodding at Rachel’s suggestion. 

“Agreed,” Rachel says. “Finn, should we get you some real pants before we leave? Jeans, maybe?”

“These are a little big,” Finn says, tugging out the waistband of the sweatpants to demonstrate.

“I’ll find a Target and perhaps your mom and I can go to Target later this morning or early this afternoon,” Kurt says to Finn, though he makes eye contact with Carole, who nods her agreement. Kurt knows the sweatpants weren’t too big on Finn before, which makes him feel a little sad, and he looks at Finn’s plate. “More cake, Finn?”

“Yes!” Finn says, holding out his plate.

“Excellent,” Kurt says, taking the plate and standing up again to put a large slice on it. “After we eat, why don’t you rest while we all make the necessary phone calls?”

“I already rested a lot. I’m tired of resting,” Finn says.

“I thought you’d want to make sure you were awake on the train is all,” Kurt explains, handing the plate back to Finn. 

“We all just want to make sure you don’t need to go back on the oxygen,” Carole adds. 

“Okay, I’ll rest,” Finn says. “I don’t want the oxygen.”

“Thank you,” Kurt says quietly, smiling at Finn. He finishes his cake and sets the empty plate down, then picks up his phone. “Bibi, anything else I need to tell our New York helpers?”

“Hmm. See if you can get them to stock a few things in the kitchen for us,” Rachel says. “Not sure we’ll have a chance to buy groceries.” 

“Right. Tofu, apparently,” Kurt say wryly, before turning his attention to his phone and typing out a lengthy message about moving furniture, the breakfast dishes, and grocery shopping. He wonders as he sends the message if either Blaine or Sam will comment on the fact that the bed arrangements don’t exactly read as if there are going to be three single people in the loft. 

“It’s so funny you like tofu now, Finn,” Carole says, smiling at him. “I never would have expected that.” 

“It’s good. I like the texture,” Finn says.

Kurt’s phone buzzes once, and Kurt picks it up to read the reply text. “They’ll try to have everything done by mid-afternoon,” he reports after reading it. “I guess it’s time to start making telephone calls.” He reaches for the list and studies it for a moment before taking a picture of the section listing psychiatrists in New York and then handing the list back to Rachel. 

He starts to lean over, to kiss Rachel and then Finn on the cheek or forehead, before he catches himself, and instead he smiles at Rachel and quickly squeezes Finn’s hand before sliding off the bed. Kurt picks up his laptop and then props it up in the windowsill, turning the sleeper chair towards it, and then quickly opens up a new document, listing each psychiatrist or group, their location, and phone number. Kurt makes a note to ask each office their proximity to a subway stop, as well, and then checks the time. 

“No time like the present,” he says over his shoulder, then turns back to his laptop to start making calls. One office is eliminated when Kurt recognizes too much interest after hearing Finn’s name, and another one answers everything correctly but still gives Kurt a strange feeling. In the end, he feels like there are two strong possibilities, and he makes an appointment with each practice, clarifying their cancellation policies before doing so. Kurt closes the laptop and stands up, turning the chair around again. 

“I feel like I need more coffee now,” he says as soon as Rachel hangs up from her latest call. “Do you?” 

“Coffee, something for this headache,” Rachel says, “and maybe we should schedule a spa day for all three of us.”

“In-home massage to start?” Kurt suggests. “I’ll go down and get some ibuprofen or aspirin to go with the coffee.” Kurt smiles at her and at Finn, who actually is resting, then at Carole and Burt before heading down to the lobby. The gift shop does have aspirin at not too high of a markup, and Kurt buys that as well as more non-sour candy for all of them before getting more coffee and tea. 

As Kurt waits for one of the elevators to open, he thinks about Rachel’s suggestion of a spa day, and the fact that Finn does need a haircut. He’s not sure how Finn would feel about all of it, but they can at least get some basic things accomplished. The elevator is almost full this time, a change from the other times Kurt’s used it, though he assumes that’s a function of the time of day more than anything else. He does hear some of the people on the elevator talking about Finn, though they’re still using the ‘John Doe’ terminology at least half the time, and he sighs. 

“Did you see that picture?” one of them says. “I don’t blame them, I’d probably want to be close, too.” 

“How did they even get the picture?” another person says, and Kurt can feel his eyes narrowing. He’s not sure what, precisely, they’re referencing, but he does remember what the nurse said about the persistent reporter, and he also remembers his dream about pictures being taken. 

The elevator stops at the correct floor, and Kurt pushes his way out of the elevator without meeting anyone’s eye, then heads to Finn’s room. 

“Coffee and tea,” he says, holding up the drink carrier. “And aspirin and candy. Any success, Bibi?”

“I was able to get him in to see someone at Columbia,” Rachel says.

“I actually made two different appointments,” Kurt admits. “I thought we could all decide later.” 

Rachel frowns. “Oh, do you think I should set up a second one as well?” 

“I mainly did because I assumed there’d be more talking with a psychiatrist,” Kurt says. “I don’t think there’s quite the same concern with a neurologist.” 

“Do you want me to call the pulmonologists while you two call the general practitioners?” Carole offers quietly. 

“Oh, thank you,” Kurt says, handing her one of the cups of coffee. “That would help, yes.” Kurt hands out the rest of the coffee, then settles down beside Finn, coffee and tea set beside the bed. “Finn,” he says softly. “Do you want some tea?”

“Yeah, thanks, Kurt,” Finn says, putting his hand out for a cup. “When can we leave?”

Kurt hands the tea over before picking up his own coffee. “Two appointments down, two to go,” he says. “Once we’ve made those, I’ll go online and buy some train tickets. Sound good?”

“Yeah,” Finn says, nodding. “Do I need to do anything?”

“No, just rest and look healthy enough to leave,” Rachel says. 

“Should I have brought him some blush?” Kurt says jokingly to Rachel. 

“I have some in my purse if we need it,” Rachel says.

“I don’t think I want to wear blush,” Finn says.

“I can’t imagine whyever not,” Kurt says with a laugh. “Do you still want to do the general practitioners together, Bibi, or do you want to do those while I check the train schedule?” 

“Ooh, you can check the train schedule, and I’ll make the call!” Rachel says excitedly. 

“We’re efficient,” Kurt says, smiling. He stands up long enough to get the laptop, then pulls up the train schedule as Rachel starts making calls. Carole is in another corner making, Kurt assumes, the calls to the pulmonologists, and Kurt looks at Burt inquisitively. “Do you think a train late this afternoon would give us enough time?” 

“Enough time to what?” Burt asks.

“For Finn to be discharged and to get to the train station,” Kurt says. 

“Maybe it’s better not to rush,” Burt says. “Give us all another day to get things set up. Carole and I need to figure out where we’re staying. Is there room in your loft for more than the two of you plus Finn?”

Kurt frowns and shakes his head. “No, there’s really not. There’s a hotel not too far away, though. Dad, there’s no reason to stay here another day. Finn’s ready to leave. We’re _all_ ready to leave.” 

“It’s just…” Burt lowers his voice. “What if he has some kind of relapse? What if the pneumonia comes back or he gets disoriented or something?”

Kurt sighs and stands up, motioning for Burt to follow him to stand close to the door. “Dad,” he says quietly, “if he has to go back to the hospital for the pneumonia, it would be better for everyone if we’re already in New York. The train ride is between an hour and an hour and a half, that’s all.” 

“His mom just got him back,” Burt says.

“And you just said that you and Carole were coming to New York as well. You’re going to be in a hotel in either place. I don’t understand,” Kurt says, frowning again. “The longer we’re here, the worse it’s going to be with the press when we leave, too.”

“She’s just so worried something else is going to happen,” Burt explains. “I guess she—both of us really—feels like the hospital’s a more controlled environment. She’s afraid if she lets him walk out the door…”

“We’re all going to be with him. The hospital may be a controlled environment, but the doctors wouldn’t let him leave if he wasn’t ready. _Especially_ not him,” Kurt says, sighing. “Think about it. They can’t be the doctors who let ‘John Doe’ leave too early.” 

“Logically speaking, I know you’re right,” Burt says. “It’s hard to explain. One day, when you’re a parent, you’ll understand that logic doesn’t always make you feel any better about stuff.”

“Then let’s at least make Finn happy, Dad, and be able to tell him what time we’re getting on a train?” 

Burt signs. “Alright, Kurt. We’ll do it that way. Let’s try to shoot for having you three back in the loft by dinner?”

“Okay,” Kurt says with a smile. “Do you want me to call that hotel as well?” 

“Nah, just give me the name, and I can call while Carole tries to get the discharge paperwork rolling.” 

“Okay, I’ll find the number,” Kurt agrees, walking back over to the laptop and sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Finn. “Finn, how does dinner in New York sound?”

“Like pizza,” Finn says.

“Pizza in New York, got it,” Kurt says, looking up the hotel name and number before writing it down on a piece of the hospital notepaper and handing it to Burt. “Is there anything you’d like to drink with the pizza?” Kurt asks as he goes back to the train schedules. 

“We should get champagne!” Rachel says, putting her hand over her phone momentarily.

“Ooh, yes,” Kurt says, nodding. “Does that sound good, Finn?”

“Virgin cosmos,” Finn says, which makes Rachel start to giggle.

“If you remember that, I know what else you remember,” Rachel says. “But we should stick with the champagne.” She lowers her voice and leans in conspiratorially. “Maybe a few bottles.”

“We can always rotate through a selection of drinks in the future,” Kurt says, winking at Rachel. “Five-thirty out of Philadelphia. We’ll be home by seven or seven-fifteen.” 

Finn smiles and nods without comment. Rachel puts the phone back to her ear, confirming the appointment she scheduled, then ends the call and sets the phone down on the bed, snuggling against Finn's side.

“We’ll sleep in our own bed tonight,” Rachel sighs happily.

“Unless Finn kicks us out,” Kurt whispers. 

“I don’t kick,” Finn replies, too loudly.

“What was that, sweetie?” Carole asks. “You don’t kick?”

Kurt looks at Rachel, his eyes wide as he feels slightly alarmed. Finn, however, gives Carole the fake-blank look. 

“Football,” Finn says. “Kurt kicks. All the single ladies.”

“Oh, yes, that was so cute,” Carole says, then turns back to Burt. 

“Good save,” Kurt whispers. 

“I remember lots of things,” Finn says soberly, nodding his head slowly. 

“I can’t wait to hear everything you remember,” Rachel says. “I want to stay up all night and let you tell us everything.”

“We’ll get more pizza than we think we need,” Kurt says. “It’ll be fun.”

Rachel reaches across Finn’s chest to take Kurt’s hand. “More champagne than we think, too. We should spend the next few days celebrating.” Her cheeks get pink when she says ‘celebrating’.

Kurt grins at her. “Exactly. I’m going to see if your mom wants to go to Target with me, Finn, so we can get you some jeans and socks and shoes and… well, a shirt to wear that isn’t from the hospital.” 

“Underwear,” Finn says. 

“Oh! I guess you _don’t_ have any, do you?” Rachel says, getting even pinker.

“Nope,” Finn says. “Commando. Hey, like Puck!”

Kurt laughs at that, shaking his head. “I’ll add underwear to the list. And one of us is going to let Puck know that you still associate him with that, you realize?”

“Will he like that?” Finn asks.

“You know, I suspect he might,” Kurt admits. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. Is there anything either of you want for lunch?”

“Cheesesteak,” Finn says. “People talk about cheesesteak a lot.”

“No cheesesteak for me,” Rachel says with a barely-visible shudder.

“Do you want a vegan burger if they have one, or just a salad?” Kurt asks Rachel.

“Whichever looks better. I trust your judgment.” Rachel leans up, lips slightly puckered.

“Goodbye kiss,” Finn whispers.

“You two are going to get me in trouble,” Kurt teases quietly, bending over to kiss Rachel briefly, then brush his lips across Finn’s forehead. 

“Don't complain,” Rachel says. “You like our brand of trouble.”

“Also true,” Kurt admits with a smile, walking across the room to Carole. Carole gives him a slightly odd look, but doesn’t say anything. “I thought now was a good time to go to Target,” Kurt says, and Carole nods her agreement. As the two of them leave the room, Kurt looks over his shoulder at the bed, where Finn and Rachel are talking quietly, arms around each other.

The news trucks outside the hospital don’t pay Carole and Kurt any attention, and the two of them are able to get a cab relatively easily, instructing the driver to the nearest Target. “I made a list last night,” Carole says, pulling it up on her phone. “I’m sure we have some overlap, but I thought it was good to have as many minds thinking about it as possible.” 

“Did you remember underwear?” Kurt says wryly. “I didn’t. Finn had to remind me.” 

Carole laughs. “Oh, my. No, I didn’t actually. It’s good that Finn thought of that, then!” She laughs again as they get out of the cab at Target. “Do you think his underwear preference changed, too?” 

“Oh!” Kurt covers his mouth, trying not to laugh. “I suppose we’ll just have him try a little of everything,” he says finally, shaking his head and grabbing a cart as they walk through the doors. That is more or less what he and Carole do, dividing the list between them. When they check out, Kurt asks them to put it as few bags as possible, and then Carole runs back to the luggage to get a suitcase and a duffel bag, making it back just before the last of the items are scanned. All of it fits in the trunk of the cab, though, and Kurt is almost surprised to see it only took them just over an hour at the Target. The cab stops at a cheesesteak place, where Kurt gets Rachel two rather wilted-looking side salads along with four cheesesteaks. The man taking the order gives Kurt a strange look at the salad order, and he shrugs helplessly. 

“For your mom?” the guy asks, gesturing to Carole in the cab. 

“No, she’ll eat the cheesesteak,” Kurt says. “My, uh.” He stops suddenly, because somehow ‘best friend’ doesn’t seem quite expansive enough given the past few days. “Best friend,” he finishes anyway. “She’s vegetarian.” The words sound awkward, and the guy chuckles. 

Kurt accepts the bag before the guy can make any further comments, and once he’s back in the cab, Carole gives him a strange look. “Are you okay? You look flushed.” 

“I’m fine,” Kurt manages, though he’s sure he’s even more flushed after that comment. The cab returns them to the hospital and they get inside without their bags attracting too much attention from the various reporters hanging around and doing their noon reports. Kurt isn’t sure why he keeps thinking a reporter will realize who they are, but he’s still grateful each time it doesn’t occur. 

Carole stops in the lobby to buy bottles of pop for each of them to have with their cheesesteak, or salad in Rachel’s case, and as they ride up the elevator, Kurt realizes that with any luck, he won’t be making the ride up to the floor again; they’ll be leaving instead. With that thought in mind, Kurt smiles as they walk back into Finn’s room. 

“Clothes and food!” he announces, still smiling. “Cheesesteaks for everyone except salad for Bibi, and Finn, we have lots of clothes so you can see what you like best.” Kurt puts down the bag of clothes he’s carrying against the wall where Carole is setting two more bags, then walks to the bed with the bag of food. 

“Food first,” Rachel says. “Then we’ll help you put together a New York-worthy ensemble.”

“The salad’s a little sad-looking,” Kurt says apologetically as he hands Rachel the two side salads. “I suppose most vegetarians just avoid the cheesesteak places completely.” After Kurt distributes the food and sits down next to Finn, he grins at Finn. “You didn’t tell me what _kind_ of underwear, you know,” he says in a low voice. 

“I don’t remember what kind,” Finn says. “I think I remember more than one kind.”

“Well, you can see what kind of underwear you like now, too,” Kurt says with a shrug, taking a bite of his cheesesteak.

“You could have asked me, you know,” Rachel says. She pokes at the sad-looking salad and makes a face. “At least that’s a more appealing mental image than this salad.”

“Oh, I thought you’d want Finn to do some underwear modeling,” Kurt says as innocently as he can. “Don’t you want to do some modeling for us, Finn?”

“No,” Finn says, continuing to eat his cheesesteak.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Kurt asks. “Party pooper.”

“You can look at them in the packages,” Finn suggests.

Rachel starts to giggle. “Or on the floor?” she guesses. Finn just grins back at her.

“What’s so funny over there, you three?” Carole calls from where she and Burt are messily eating their own cheesesteaks.

Finn turns his grin on Carole. “Underwear. Underwear is funny,” he says.

“I don’t think I’ll inquire further,” Carole says, grinning back at Finn and shaking her head before turning to Burt and saying something quietly. 

“Did any of the doctors come by about when you can leave while I was gone?” Kurt asks. 

“They took more blood and did some other things,” Finn says.

“Looks like we’re on schedule to make that train, though,” Rachel says. 

“Excellent news.” Kurt finishes off his cheesesteak and wipes his hands before lying back. “When we get home, I’m leaving a review online about this place, so no one else will try the salad.”

“It’s more like a sad salad than a side salad,” Rachel sighs. 

“Sad side salad. Finn, when you’re done, we can go through your new clothes, or at least some of them,” Kurt says. 

“Do any of them have stripes? I think I used to wear stripes,” Finn says.

“A few. Do you want to wear stripes?” Kurt asks. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I like them or not.”

“Well, you can decide after trying things with stripes and without stripes,” Kurt says. “And different kinds of fabric.” 

“Are there sweaters with animals?” Finn asks. “Somebody used to wear sweaters with animals.”

“That was me, Finn,” Rachel says. “Not you. Don’t worry, I’m sure Kurt wouldn’t buy you animal sweaters.”

“Oh. That’s too bad. I think I liked those,” Finn says.

“I finally purged the last holdout from her wardrobe,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “Don’t encourage a relapse, Finn. If you want a ridiculous sweater, wait until December and you can have a Christmas one.”

“But I think I thought they were sweet,” Finn says. “Maybe Rachel can get a Christmas one.”

“One reindeer sweater, check,” Kurt says with a sigh. “You can have Santa Claus, and the two of you will match.” 

“And you, too,” Finn says.

“Ooh, yes, Kurt,” Rachel coos at Kurt. “You’ll have to have one to match us! We can take a family picture and send it out to everyone we know!”

“Yeah! That’s a really good idea, Rachel,” Finn agrees. 

“I’m going to put peanut butter in your hairbrush, Rachel Berry,” Kurt says through gritted teeth. “And cook bacon for breakfast every morning for a month.”

“That’ll get gum out, though,” Finn says. “The peanut butter.”

“See? I’m just thinking ahead,” Kurt says. 

“And why would I have gum in my hair?” Rachel demands. 

“Puck spit it in there because you were winning at Mario Kart?” Finn offers. 

Carole suddenly laughs. “I always suspected that’s how that happened!” she says. “You kept insisting that you had no idea how it got from _your_ mouth into the hair on the back of your head.”

“Don’t tell him I told!” Finn says, suddenly looking alarmed. 

“And here I wanted to withhold some dessert the next time I saw him,” Carole says mock-sadly. “I think he’ll understand.” 

“As long as you aren’t going spit gum in our hair when we win rock-paper-scissors for control of the remote,” Kurt says to Finn. 

“I make no promises,” Finn says. “I guess I might used to make promises, but I don’t think I do now.”

“Aren’t you sassy,” Kurt says, resting his head on Finn’s shoulder for a split second before sitting up. “Clothes time!” He goes and gets the bags, setting one on the bed in front of Finn. “Dig in. I think this bag has all of the socks, and a pair of boots, too. Shirts in the next one.”

Finn does dig into the bag, pulling out every pair of socks and lining them up side by side across the bed, looking at them critically. 

“Some are cotton, some are a blend, and some are wool,” Kurt says. 

“Can I keep all of them?”

“Sure,” Kurt says, nodding. “If you like some of them better than others, we can buy more of that kind.”

“I’ll try some on now,” Finn says. 

“Any particular kind you want?” Kurt asks. “The wool ones might be good, given the weather.” He points to one group of socks, on Finn’s left. 

“Okay, I’ll start with those,” Finn says. He pulls on a pair of the wool socks, and the look crossing his face is practically ecstatic. “These. These socks. These are the best socks I have ever worn, ever.”

Kurt smiles at him. “I’m glad you like them. We got you a duffel bag and a suitcase, too, so we can pack the rest of the socks for you.”

Finn smiles back at Kurt, wiggling his feet in the socks. “Okay, I guess shirts now?”

“Excellent idea,” Kurt says, standing up and bringing over the duffel bag as well as the bag with shirts in it. He hands Finn the shirt bag and quickly packs the socks, setting the duffel bag beside the bed. “There’s some pullovers and button-downs,” he says.

“What kind did I wear before?”

Kurt frowns and exchanges a look with Rachel. “Some of each, I guess,” Kurt says. “Depending on the situation.”

“Here, Finn,” Rachel says, picking up a blue and grey pullover. “Try this one. You look so nice in blue.”

Finn takes the shirt, pulls off his Jefferson Hospital T-shirt, and puts on the pullover. “Does it fit right?”

“I think so,” Kurt says, eyeing it critically. “It looks perfect across the shoulders.” It’s a little loose near Finn’s waist, but Kurt’s sure they can remedy that within a few weeks. “Do you like it?”

“I think I do.”

“Well, _I_ like it,” Rachel says. 

“It’ll be good to travel in,” Kurt says. “Do you want the last bag now?” Kurt stands up again, feeling his cheeks get a little pink. It’s highly unlikely Finn would start putting on underwear and pants in front of them, especially since Kurt doesn’t foresee Burt and Carole suddenly leaving the room, but the idea that Finn perhaps _would_ , if the three of them were alone or at home, is enough for Kurt to feel flushed. 

“The bathroom’s free, if you’d like some privacy,” Rachel suggests, looking like she might also be thinking the same thing as Kurt. 

“Okay,” Finn says. He takes the bag into the bathroom, and after a few minutes, comes out fully dressed. “It all goes together?”

“Turn around?” Kurt requests, spinning his finger in the air. Finn turns in a slow circle. Kurt exchanges a smile with Rachel, then nods as Finn faces them again. “They look like they fit well. Do you like the outfit?”

“I guess,” Finn says. “It seems… different. From what I used to wear.”

“Different bad?” Rachel asks.

“Just different-different,” Finn says.

“It fits you better,” Kurt says. “I think you look nice.” 

“Okay. Thanks,” Finn says, looking down at his clothes skeptically. 

Kurt raises an eyebrow. “I can think of other adjectives if you’d rather look something other than ‘nice’,” he says. 

“It looks _right_?” Finn asks.

“I think so,” Kurt says, nodding. “Rachel?”

“I think you look just perfect,” Rachel says enthusiastically. 

“I left out your boots and the coat we bought,” Kurt says. “The rest is packed to take home.”

“So we should go,” Finn says.

Kurt laughs. “I agree, but I think we have to get some doctors’ signatures before we leave, unfortunately. Also our tickets aren’t for another…” Kurt trails off as he pulls out his phone and checks the time. “Three and a half hours.” 

“No, that's too long,” Finn says. “Let's go now!”

“Finn, I think you should have a little rest before it’s time to go, like we discussed,” Rachel says. She puts her hand on Finn’s arm and directs him to the bed. 

“So I look healthy when I leave, right?” Finn says, loudly enough that Burt and Carole look alarmed.

“If he isn’t actually feeling good enough to leave—” Burt begins.

“He needs to look like he wasn’t a patient at all, Dad,” Kurt interrupts. “We have to get past all of the news trucks and reporters if at all possible.” 

“Don’t they have some kind of ambulance bay?” Burt grumbles. “You’d think that they’d let us get a taxi through there or something, since it was their lapse of security that caused this mess.”

“Your heart,” Finn says. “You had a problem with your heart. Kurt doesn’t like you to get upset!”

“My heart’s just fine. It's been years,” Burt says.

“Why don’t you rest, Finn, and we’ll talk to the nurse about your discharge papers and how to exit the building?” Kurt says, looking at Finn and then Burt. 

“Mom can talk to the nurse. You and Rachel can rest with me,” Finn insists.

“I’ll talk to the nurse,” Carole agrees. “Go ahead.” 

“We should probably leave here by five,” Kurt says, settling back on the bed on what he realizes he’s come to think of as ‘his’ side. 

“We’ll see what we can do,” Burt says. “I haven’t thrown my weight around here yet, so I can do that if I have to.”

“See?” Rachel says, curling up against Finn on her side. “Everything’s going to be just fine. We’ll be home before you know it.”

“Yeah, okay,” Finn agrees. He closes his eyes and puts his arms around Kurt and Rachel.

Kurt doesn’t intend to fall asleep, just to rest, but he closes his eyes and then drifts off to the quiet sound of Carole talking with the current nurse. When he wakes up again, he can tell it’s later in the afternoon, and Rachel and Finn appear to be sleeping. Kurt slowly pushes himself to a sitting position, checking the time and then looking at Burt. 

“It’s past 4:30 already,” Kurt says, stifling a yawn. “Do we have everything we need to leave?”

“Finn needs to sign a few things, since he’s over eighteen and been found competent,” Burt says. “Carole, can you get those discharge papers?”

Carole nods and stands up. “I’ll be right back, if you want to wake him up.” 

“Okay,” Kurt agrees, then turns back to Finn. “Finn, wake up. It’s almost time to go home.” He puts one hand on Finn’s shoulder, shaking him gently. 

“Home is New York,” Finn mumbles, stretching a little without opening his eyes at first. He peeks out at Kurt with one eye, then smiles. “Hi, Kurt. We’re going home now?”

“Hi,” Kurt says, returning the smile. “And yes, as soon as you sign a few papers.” 

“Does Rachel have to wake up?”

“I’ll wake her up while you sign the papers,” Kurt says. “That way we can leave that much sooner.”

“Can I wake her up at home?” Finn asks. “I like your faces when you just wake up. They look new.”

Kurt nods. “I think that’s a good idea,” he says, still smiling.


	9. Chapter 9a

  
“Here’s the papers,” Carole says as she re-enters the room. “Once they’re signed, the orderly will take us downstairs.”

“I can sign them,” Finn says. He takes the sheaf of paper and signs his name. The signature doesn’t quite look like what Kurt remembers from high school, bearing a stronger resemblance to some of the middle school papers Kurt came across when they were sorting through Finn’s things. Still, Finn signs with a flourish, handing the papers back to Carole when he’s done.

“Okay! Let’s go!” Finn says. 

Kurt laughs and leans over, touching Rachel’s arm. “Wake up, Bibi,” he says. “Time for us to take Finn home.” 

Rachel hums a happy noise as her eyelids flicker open. “Prince Charming number one,” she says, looking at Kurt, then her eyes find Finn, “and Prince Charming number two. Does our chariot await?”

“You’re the luckiest girl in five boroughs?” Kurt says with a raised eyebrow, still laughing. “We’re about to go out through—” he stops and looks at Burt. “How are we leaving?”

“Ambulance bay,” Burt says. “Then a taxi to the train station.”

“It’s a taxi, not a chariot,” Finn explains, sounding apologetic.

“Oh, I think a taxi will do just fine,” Rachel says.

“I heard someone needs a ride to the ambulance bay,” the cheerful orderly says from the doorway. “Finn, hospital rules, you have to ride in this,” he says apologetically, patting the empty wheelchair in front of him. “But once you leave the doors, you’re free to walk the rest of the way to the taxi.” 

“What if I just stand up while we’re going?” Finn asks.

“No, Finn!” Rachel says. “Let’s just get out of here, please?”

“If you go ahead and sit down, the quicker we get to the taxi, and the quicker we get to the taxi, the quicker we can get on the train to go home,” Kurt says. “Let’s just follow the last of their rules.”

“Go. Sit,” Rachel says, urging Finn towards the wheelchair.

“Your friends are right,” the orderly says with a grin. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Finn sits in the wheelchair, looking like he begrudges the entire process, and Kurt thinks that Finn’s actually gotten better at pouting than before. The orderly waits for them to grab their various bags, then pushes Finn down the hall, leading them to a different bank of elevators and going down to a different set of hallways. Eventually, they approach the ambulance bay, an SUV taxi waiting, and the orderly stops just inside the doors. 

“Here you go,” he says to Finn, putting the brakes on the wheelchair. 

“Thanks,” Kurt says to the orderly over his shoulder, stepping forward to stand on one side of Finn. 

“Freedom!” Finn bellows in a true _Braveheart_ fashion.

Carole looks taken aback, and Kurt thinks it’s possible Burt is mildly embarrassed, but they all head to the taxi, loading their bags and Finn’s new luggage in the back before squeezing in. The driver isn’t talkative and doesn’t ask any questions, and Kurt doesn’t know if he’s naturally incurious or had been instructed not to ask questions, but either way, he appreciates it. The five of them arrive at the train station with enough time to board and get settled before it leaves, and Kurt leans towards Finn almost unconsciously, the three of them shoving into two seats once the conductor passes by. 

When Kurt can tell they’re approaching New York, he nudges Finn’s side gently. “I told you I’d kiss you when we got off the train in New York. Does that still sound like a good plan?” 

“Or you could do it now,” Finn says.

“Why do I have a feeling that if I kiss you now, you’ll kiss us both again once the train arrives?” Kurt asks almost whimsically. 

“Probably because I will,” Finn answers matter-of-factly.

Rachel leans across Finn enough to talk to Kurt. “Are we talking about kisses?”

“Let me guess,” Kurt says with a mock-sigh. “You want one too?”

“Everybody will get kissed,” Finn says. “It’s all very fair.”

“Also fun,” Kurt says, then grins. “But if everyone’s going to get kissed, we might want to get started.”

“Well, not everybody in _New York_ ,” Finn clarifies.

“Everyone that counts,” Kurt says, tilting his face up and putting one hand on the back of Finn’s head. Finn lets himself be pulled down into a kiss, cupping the side of Kurt’s face with one hand. 

Kurt and Finn are still kissing when Kurt hears a gasp from across the aisle that sounds like Carole. “Burt,” she hisses, and Kurt thinks that maybe they should have waited until the train station after all, but it’s too late for that. 

Burt clears his throat loudly, but Finn doesn’t pull away. After another few seconds pass, Burt says, “Uh, boys?”

Finn holds up one finger in Burt’s direction, like he’s telling Burt to wait just one minute, but when Finn stops kissing Kurt, he turns to Rachel instead, taking her face in both his hands before kissing her, too. Burt stares at Finn and Rachel with an open-mouthed look of confusion. 

“One second, Dad,” Kurt says, then leans across Finn to kiss Rachel, because they might as well go for broke. Kurt kisses her harder than before, taking advantage of her slightly parted lips to deepen the kiss before they separate. Kurt grins at her and Finn before straightening and looking at Burt and Carole. “Yes?”

“Do you want to explain what just happened there?” Burt asks.

“We were kissing,” Kurt says, trying to sound unconcerned. “All of us.” 

“ _Why_?” Burt demands. 

“’Cause it’s nice,” Finn says. 

“Finn, sweetie,” Carole says, sounding almost worried, “you realize that you don’t have to kiss everyone you know, right?”

“Yes,” Finn says. “I know that.”

“I don’t think he plans to kiss anyone else,” Rachel offers helpfully.

“Nope, I’m not,” Finn agrees. 

“But you’re kissing Rachel _and_ Kurt,” Carole says, sounding confused at best. 

“Yeah. I sure am!”

“People usually only have one girlfriend. Or boyfriend,” Carole says, looking between Kurt and Finn with the same puzzled expression. “And Kurt, you were kissing Rachel.”

“She’s Rachel,” Kurt says, knowing it’s not a full explanation, but it’s the best he has. 

“Who made up that rule?” Finn asks. “It’s kind of a dumb rule.”

“That’s just how things are, sweetie,” Carole says, then looks at Burt. 

“I got nothing,” Burt says, holding up his hands. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“We’re all happy with this,” Kurt says. “We’ve discussed it.”

“Is Finn even really in a state of mind where he can make a decision like that?” Burt asks.

Kurt glares at Burt and then turns to Finn. “Finn? Are you in a state of mind to make a decision about Rachel and I?”

“I’m in the state of New York to make a decision about Rachel and you,” Finn says, “and yes, I think so.”

“He’s got memory gaps. He’s not a child!” Rachel says, joining Kurt in his Burt-directed glaring.

“I just want to make sure all three of you realize how… unconventional it is,” Carole says, this time looking between Rachel and Kurt with the same puzzled expression. 

“I’m aware,” Kurt says, a little wryly. “Rachel? Finn?”

“It may be unconventional, but if it makes us happy, I’m not concerned with convention,” Rachel replies.

“I love them, and they love me, and I was lost and they _found_ me,” Finn says. “And now we’re going home. I’m good.”

Burt rubs his temples. “Oh crap, the papers are going to have a field day with this.”

“Let them,” Kurt says with a sigh. “We were unhappy for a long time, and now we’re not. It’s not even that we’re not unhappy, Dad. We’re _happy_.”

“What if one of you changes your mind, though?” Carole says. “Isn’t it going to be that much more difficult?”

“I think that’s highly unlikely,” Kurt says, glancing at Rachel and Finn. “And I’d rather not borrow trouble.”

“In a way, this is always how it was meant to be,” Rachel explains. 

“We just took a slight detour,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “If nearly three years can be termed ‘slight’.”

“I’m very confused,” Carole admits. “But I do want you happy, all of you, and you especially, Finn.” 

“As long as everybody knows what they’re doing, and everybody is involved of his or her own free will, no pressure or anything,” Burt says. The look Burt gives Kurt feels pointed, whether Burt intends it to or not, and Kurt nods, meeting the look directly. 

“We’re all freely consenting adults, Dad,” Kurt says. 

“Okay, okay,” Burt concedes. “I’m just making sure we’re all clear.”

“And we’ll try not to announce it to the media immediately,” Kurt says. “None of them should know we’re in New York for at least a few days, right?” He takes Finn’s hand in his, reaching across to take Rachel’s free hand as well. 

“We’ll put them off the scent as long as we can, but somebody’s going to figure out I’m in New York, at least, and after that it just makes sense to look for the rest of you here,” Burt says. “I want to protect you three from any kind of harassment, if possible. I could kill that damn intern for leaking that information about Finn.”

“I never liked him. Intern or no intern, though, we luckily don’t have plans to make any significant public appearances,” Kurt says, then mentally winces when he realizes that he and Rachel have missed a few days of class, and will probably miss at least a few more. 

“If somebody tries to get a statement from you, you direct them to Elizabeth, you got that?” Burt says. 

“We will,” Kurt says, squeezing Finn and Rachel’s hands. 

“Finn, you understand not to talk to any of the reporters, right?” Carole suddenly says. “Everyone’s very interested in your story. If you want to talk to someone, you need to plan ahead.”

“How do I know if they’re reporters?” Finn asks. 

“If someone knows your name, but they’re not someone you know, they’re probably a reporter,” Rachel says. “They’ll try to talk to you like they know you, but you’ll figure it out.”

“Most people aren’t overly friendly here,” Kurt tries to explain. “Striking up a conversation on the street would be very odd if they weren’t a reporter.”

“You’ll be fine,” Rachel assures Finn.

“Okay,” Finn says.

“And now the train’s slowing down,” Kurt says. “One subway ride and a few blocks is all that’s left. I’ll go ahead and order our pizza on my phone, even.” 

“We’ll come with you to the loft and get you settled in before we go to our hotel,” Burt says.

“They did let me know they finished all the rearranging and got everything on our grocery list,” Kurt says, looking at his phone. “Ooh, and Santana bought the champagne for us.” He pulls up the picture of three different champagne bottles and shows it to Finn and Rachel.

“And none of them stuck around to wait for us, right?” Rachel asked. “I’m grateful for their help, but I’d be more grateful if I didn’t have to deal with the rest of the outside world until tomorrow.”

“No, they’re not still there,” Kurt assures her. The train comes to a halt, and once they disembark with their bags, Kurt stops near a pillar. “Here too?” he asks Finn.

“Yep,” Finn says, reaching for Kurt with one hand and pulling him close. Kurt realizes that he’s doing the same with Rachel on his other side, and Kurt laughs for a moment. 

“Finn, you can’t kiss us both at the same time. We do have to take turns.”

“That’s dumb,” Finn says.

“Dumb, but sadly factual,” Rachel tells him. Finn frowns dramatically, which makes Rachel laugh. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. You have to pick one to go first!”

“Okay,” Finn says, directing Rachel and Kurt towards each other. Kurt laughs again, putting his free arm around Rachel’s shoulders and kissing her in what he hopes is a fairly dramatic fashion. 

“I’m getting pretty good at kissing girls, aren’t I?” he asks Rachel with a grin. 

“You’re a natural,” Rachel teases, right as Finn pulls her in his direction for a kiss. The kiss lasts for several long moments before Finn releases Rachel and turns toward Kurt as Kurt puts a hand through Finn’s hair, tugging him down into an equally long kiss. 

“Now we’ve properly greeted each other in New York,” Kurt says with a small grin. “Let’s go celebrate with pizza and champagne?”

“Yeah! I like that,” Finn says. 

“Maybe after we’ve had some of that champagne,” Kurt says, tossing a look over his shoulder at Burt and Carole before lowering his voice, “Finn can let us know what kind of underwear he picked. Don’t you think that’d be a good place to start, Rachel?” He grins and winks at her as they head towards the subway. Rachel giggles and hooks her arm in Finn’s.

The subway is crowded, meaning they have to stand on the way over to Brooklyn, and then they walk the relatively few blocks to the loft. When they reach the outside of the building, Kurt looks at Finn. 

“Is this what you remember?” he asks.

“I think so,” Finn says.

“We’ve rearranged the furniture a few times,” Kurt says as they head inside and up the stairs. “But I think you’ll recognize the windows at least.” As he starts to unlock the door, he realizes it’s good that they talked with Burt and Carole on the train, since they hadn’t exactly had Blaine and Sam set up three distinct sleeping areas. Kurt opens the door and then stands to the side, gesturing for Finn to walk through first. 

“I know these windows!” Finn says. “I remembered them!”

Kurt smiles as the rest of them go inside. “Welcome home.”

“This _is_ home,” Finn agrees, looking around the loft with a wide smile on his face.

“I didn’t think we’d ever see you here again,” Rachel says quietly, a slight quaver in her voice. Kurt steps to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders, and then looking at her and the tears welling in her eyes. 

“Don’t cry, Bibi,” he whispers. “He’s home for good now.”

“Where— there’s only one bed,” Carole says. “Where are you all going to sleep?” 

“More comfortably than at the hospital,” Kurt says lightly.

“Carole, don’t ask!” Burt says.

There’s a knock at the door, and Kurt squeezes Rachel a final time before moving towards it. “That’s probably our pizza,” he says. “Why don’t we open one of the bottles of champagne?” 

“I’ll open the champagne, you get the pizza,” Rachel says. “Finn, just put your bag down. We’ll unpack after we eat.”

Kurt heads to the door, already pulling out his wallet, and then slides it open before he can feel his face fall. “Oh. I thought you were the pizza,” he says to Blaine and Sam, who are standing on the other side of the door. 

“No, we’re not pizza,” Blaine says, giving Kurt an overly-bright smile. “We just had to see him for ourselves.”

“He’s not a tourist attraction,” Kurt says, a little more sharply than he intends. 

“It’s just hard to believe,” Sam says in a semi-apologetic tone. “And we missed him, too, you know.”

“We won’t stay long,” Blaine promises.

“Fine,” Kurt says with a sigh, moving to the side. “Come in.” 

“Thanks!” Sam says, grinning at Kurt as he heads through the door and then stops. “Whoa. Hey, Finn!” 

“Sam,” Finn says, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “You’re Sam. Hi, Sam.”

“Hi, Finn,” Blaine says. “How are you? You look good.”

Finn’s smile abruptly drops into a scowl. “Hello,” he says, his tone frosty at best.

“Finn, that’s Blaine. Do you remember him now that you have a face to go with the name?” Rachel asks.

“I know who Blaine is,” Finn says haughtily.

“Finn!” Rachel scolds, walking up to him and taking his arm. “Why are you acting like that? Blaine was your friend before.”

“I said I know who Blaine is,” Finn says.

“It’s okay,” Blaine tells Rachel. “We sprung ourselves on you. We just couldn’t wait.”

“He remembers Puck quite well, too,” Kurt says. “Maybe we can plan on the two of you coming back later?”

“Yeah, we can do that,” Sam says, looking at Blaine and putting his hand gently on Blaine’s wrist. Finn squints, his brow wrinkling as he looks between Sam and Blaine, and just as suddenly as his scowl appeared, it melts into a friendly smile.

“Yeah, we can have Chinese food,” Finn tells Sam, his smile encompassing both Sam and Blaine. “I like tofu now. It’s good.”

“Awesome,” Sam says, and Kurt looks at Rachel quizzically, sure he’s missed something. Rachel shrugs and shakes her head in response.

“There’s a great take-out place near our apartment,” Blaine says. “Sam and I could pick some up on the way over… _after_ you’ve had a few days to get settled here, of course. There’s no rush.”

“We appreciate your help earlier today,” Kurt says. “And sometime next week would be good.”

“Sure, next week,” Sam says. “It’s really great to see you, Finn. So when are you guys getting another bed delivered?”

“I’m not inviting anyone else over,” Kurt says to Rachel. 

“No, I hadn’t planned to, either,” Rachel says, turning to Finn. “Finn?”

“Everybody I know is already here,” Finn says.

“What does that have to do with the bed?” Sam asks, then looks at Blaine. “Do you get it?”

“Oh, I think he gets it,” Finn stage-whispers to Kurt, who looks quizzically at Finn. 

Blaine suddenly looks flustered, his eyes widening. “Ohhh, okay, yes, we should leave you to your dinner,” he says, raising his eyebrows at Sam in a way that is clearly meant to communicate _something_. “Pizza, you said? We’ll leave you three to your pizza. All of you, I mean. All of you to your pizza.”

Sam grins suddenly. “Guess I’m not one to talk about the unexpected,” he says. “We’ll see you next week. Good to see you, Mr. H, Ms. H.” 

“Bye, Sam,” Finn says, grabbing Sam into an aggressive bear hug. He releases Sam, and immediately grabs Blaine, actually picking him up several inches off the ground as they hug. “Bye, Blaine. It’s nice to see you guys. You two guys.” He puts Blaine back on the ground. “Together.”

“You, too, Finn,” Blaine says, straightening his clothes. “We’re all so grateful you’re doing so well.”

“Yeah, it’s really great,” Sam agrees, and as he and Blaine leave, he takes Blaine’s hand. 

“Oh,” Kurt says quietly to Rachel. “That’s— how did we miss it?”

“That’s so nice for Blaine,” Finn says. “It’s nice he’s with Sam. That’s good, that he has a boyfriend. It’s better that way.”

“Finn… is that why you didn’t want to talk about Blaine?” Rachel asks. “Because he didn’t have a boyfriend?”

“No,” Finn says, but he does the blank-face and averted eyes.

“We’ll ask him after the champagne,” Kurt says as there’s another knock on the door. “If that’s not pizza, I’m closing the door in his or her face,” he announces, “and specifically if it’s Santana or Dani, I’m setting the hallway on fire. If it’s Elliot, I’m making him pay for the pizza when it finally arrives.” 

“Who’s Elliot?” Finn asks. 

“Nobody to worry about,” Rachel says. “He’s a friend of Kurt’s.”

“Oh, thank God,” Kurt says when he opens the door and finds the pizza delivery person. “Hey, Annette.” Kurt takes the receipt and signs for it. “We’ll probably see you again in a few days,” he tells her, taking the stack of pizzas and waving as he closes the door. “That’s Annette, Finn,” he says. “She always brings the pizza, so you know she isn’t a reporter, either.”

“Okay. Annette isn’t a reporter,” Finn says, nodding. 

“Let’s eat,” Kurt says, setting down the pizza and then taking off his shoes and wiggling his feet. “Traveling always makes me hungrier.”

“So, Blaine and Sam, huh?” Burt says, a little too bracingly. “Didn’t see that one coming!”

“Sit down and eat, Burt,” Carole says. “Then you and I will go to the hotel.”

“To rest,” Finn says loudly. “I want to rest, too. Everybody is tired and needs to rest.”

“I ordered half of a pizza with tofu on it for you, Finn,” Kurt says. “Do you want a slice of that?” He shakes his head just a little as he glances at Burt and Carole. 

“Is there pepperoni, too? I think next time we should get pepperoni and tofu.”

“For now, you’ll have to make do with a slice of each,” Kurt says, handing Finn his plate and then serving himself a few slices and sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Dad, Carole, if you want to use the table, that’s fine.”

“Yeah, we’ll do that,” Burt says. He gets two slices of pizza and moves to the tab  
le. Carole follows him after getting her own pizza. The loft is silent for a few moments as they eat, and then Carole looks over at the three of them. 

“Finn, don’t you want to eat another couple of slices?” Carole asks. 

“I’m more tired than hungry,” Finn says. 

“We’ll make sure he eats another few slices later, after he’s had some rest,” Rachel promises.

“If you’re sure,” Carole says with a little frown. “And make sure you rest enough, Finn. You’re out of the hospital, but you still need plenty of rest. Take things easy.” 

“He’ll rest,” Kurt says. “There’s nowhere he has to go for a few days, at least.” 

“I’ll rest,” Finn says. “Look, I’m even in the bed right now!”

“Yes, I see,” Carole says. “Is there anything else you need tonight? What time should we come over in the morning? We can bring breakfast.” 

Kurt glances at Rachel before turning to Carole. “Maybe brunch?” he suggests. “Hospital wake up time was so early.”

“I want to sleep late and not have anybody take my temperature or blood pressure or put the thing on my finger,” Finn says.

“Understandable,” Kurt says loudly enough for Burt and Carole to hear, then lowers his voice and whispers to Rachel. “We’ll make sure his temperature is fine, yes?”

“Heart rate, too,” Rachel whispers back. Kurt winks at her and grins, then looks at Finn and grins. 

Finn lets out an exaggerated yawn. “Yeah, I think I’m really tired now, and need to rest for a while.”

“I think that’s our cue, Burt,” Carole says, looking like she can’t decide whether to be amused or sad. She stands up and walks over to Finn. “You have to at least stand up and give your mom a hug,” she tells him. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, too,” Finn says, standing up and giving her a hug, not quite as aggressive as the one he had given Blaine earlier. “We’ll have brunch. Or lunch. We’ll call you when we’re awake and have one of those things.”

“Use your inhaler if you feel short of breath or start wheezing,” Carole says as she picks up her luggage. “And don’t forget to take your antibiotics tonight.” 

“I’ll do all the things, Mom, I swear,” Finn says. “And I’ll be here tomorrow. Everything’s going to be good now.”

“We’ll take excellent care of him, Carole,” Rachel says. 

“I know you will,” Carole says, picking up her purse and smiling a little weakly. “We’ll see you tomorrow with brunch or lunch.” She doesn’t make a move to go closer to the door, however.

“I’m right here, Mom. I’m not going anywhere,” Finn says.

“I know,” Carole says. “I guess I feel like I’m just going to wake up in Lima and find out this was all a dream,” she admits, wiping at her eyes. 

“I was so worried that first night at the hospital,” Rachel says, walking to Carole and giving her a hug. “I woke up and thought I was in New York.”

“Now I’m concerned that I haven’t been concerned,” Kurt says. “But Finn _will_ be here tomorrow, and the day after, and next week, and so on.”

“Come on, Carole,” Burt says. He puts his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s let the kids get some rest. We can get the rest of the insurance paperwork figured out, alright?”

“Right,” Carole says with a nod, letting Burt steer her out the door. As soon as it closes, Kurt springs up and locks it, then leans against it with a relieved sigh. 

“Finally,” he says. “Where’s that champagne, Bibi?”

“I stuck it back into the fridge so it wouldn’t get too warm, since I wasn’t sure how long Blaine and Sam would stay.”

“Let’s get a little tipsy,” Kurt says as he walks back over to the bed and sits down next to Finn. 

Rachel goes into the kitchen and brings a bottle, plus a stack of three small plastic cups. “Here,” she says, handing the cups to Kurt. “You distribute, and I’ll pour.”

“Excellent,” Kurt says, pulling the cups apart and holding one up for Rachel to pour into. “We should think of a toast. Any ideas, Finn?”

“A toast?” Finn repeats.

“Not like bread,” Rachel says. “Do you remember giving a toast?”

“There was one at the wedding. Sort of.” Kurt hands the first full cup to Finn and holds the next cup for Rachel. 

“Where I say something inspirational?” Finn asks.

“Yes,” Kurt agrees, holding up the final cup for Rachel to fill. 

Finn thinks it over for a moment, then holds his cup out. “I’m glad I’m not lost anymore, and I’m glad that you love me, and I love you. Is that good?”

“Yes, Finn, that’s perfect,” Rachel says, clicking her cup against Finn’s, then Kurt’s. 

“Yes,” Kurt agrees. “We’re glad, too.” 

Finn takes a sip from his champagne and makes a face. Rachel giggles at him. 

“You don’t like it?” she asks.

“I’m thinking about if I like it,” Finn says.

“We’ll tell people to bring varieties of wine when they visit,” Kurt says, taking a long sip of his own champagne. “So you can figure out which is your favorite.”

“I don’t _not_ like it!” Finn insists, drinking the rest of his cup in a gulp. “See? I drank it all!”

“Here, then you need some more,” Rachel says, pouring more into Finn’s cup. “Don’t drink it too fast.”

“We’ll stick to just the one bottle tonight,” Kurt says. “A bottle of champagne, maybe a little talking, and was there anything else?” he says innocently, drinking some more. 

Finn tips up his cup and drains the whole thing in a single swallow. “Yes,” he says.

“What was it?” Kurt asks archly. 

“Did you want to get caught up on your favorite television shows?” Rachel asks.

“Oh, a Netflix marathon?” Kurt says. “Was that it?”

“I could pop some popcorn, if that’s what you wanted,” Rachel says.

“No! I don’t want television!” Finn says.

“No television, so probably no movies, either,” Kurt says. “Did you want to listen to some music?” 

“I have most of your CDs,” Rachel offers.

“No! I don’t want that, either!”

“What do you want?” Kurt asks, putting his free hand on Finn’s knee. 

“I do remember him saying he wanted something,” Rachel says. She taps her chin with one finger. “It was help with something, wasn’t it?”

“Oh yes. I think he wanted help with hygiene,” Kurt says. “Do you think he wanted that help tonight or in the morning?” 

“Or both?” Rachel suggests.

“Yeah, that one,” Finn says. “That’s what I want.”

“Do we really need the shower both times?” Kurt asks with a small grin. 

“I know I could probably stand to wash off the travel,” Rachel says. “I can’t think of a reason we’d need to shower again in the morning, though.” She winks at Kurt.

“In the morning, we’d presumably still be in the same state of dress or undress as when we go to sleep, so you’re probably right,” Kurt agrees, nodding. “What do you think, Finn?”

“Yes! No more joking!” Finn says.

“Maybe we should start with this, then,” Rachel says. She crawls across the bed to Finn, positioning herself partially in his lap before putting one arm around Finn’s neck and pulling him down to kiss her. Finn runs a hand down Rachel’s back, continuing down her thigh to her knee.

“I think we should all start with fewer clothes on,” Kurt says as he watches them. “Shirts off, perhaps.” 

Rachel giggles, pulling away enough to start unbuttoning her blouse, smiling up at Finn between sneaking looks at Kurt. Kurt winks at her before pulling off his own shirt and undershirt, then looking inquisitively at Finn. As Rachel shrugs her blouse off, leaving behind a light pink bra, Finn alternates between looking at her and looking at Kurt.

“You should take off your shirt,” Rachel says to Finn. “Did you need help?”

“I can help him,” Kurt offers, “and then he can help you with that.” He gestures at Rachel’s bra as he moves closer to Finn, putting his hands on either side of Finn’s torso. He tugs at the pullover, indicating for Finn to lift his arms, which Finn does. Kurt finishes removing the shirt, then drops it off the bed, staying close to Finn’s side. 

“Do you remember how to undo one of these?” Rachel asks Finn, taking his hands and guiding them to the back of her bra. After a long bit of frowning and a look of intense concentration, Finn manages to unhook the bra.

As her bra falls away, Rachel moves her arms across her chest, turning almost the same pink as the bra. “I haven’t done this in a while,” she says.

“I haven’t done this since you,” Finn says. “You look so pretty.”

“Thank you,” Rachel says. “Kurt looks nice, too, doesn’t he?”

Finn looks at Kurt, his eyes moving down Kurt’s chest, then back up again. “Yeah, Kurt looks so nice,” Finn says.

“What do you want to do now, Finn?” Kurt asks softly. “Do you want to touch us?”

“We could go ahead and start the shower, if you want,” Rachel suggests. Finn touches one of her arms with the fingertips of one hand, reaching out with his other hand to run his fingers lightly down Kurt’s chest.

“That feels good,” Kurt says. “A little ticklish.” 

“Come on,” Rachel says. She lets her arms fall to her side, taking Finn’s hand. “Let’s go get the water warmed up.” She tugs Finn with her as she stands, holding out her free hand for Kurt. “Come on,” she repeats, addressing Kurt this time.

Kurt takes her hand and stands up. “We’ll get you very clean,” he promises Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter 9b can be found here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1607156).


	10. Chapter 10

  
Kurt wakes up feeling far more comfortable than he has in a considerable amount of time, even if he’s still a little squished, the three of them more or less tangled together under the blankets. Finn is snoring a little, a rattling noise that Kurt is sure is a result of the lingering chest congestion and the lack of an elevated upper portion on the bed. Rachel looks like she could be sixteen again, her face absolutely peaceful and content, and Kurt stares at them for a long while, reluctant to wake them up. Finn snores more loudly at one point, and Kurt takes that as his signal to start to wake Finn up, if not Rachel. 

“Finn,” Kurt whispers. “Finn, wake up. We’re home.” 

“New York,” Finn replies, then opens his eyes. “Hi, Kurt.”

“I’m going to go get your inhaler off the table,” Kurt says. “Okay?” 

“Yeah, I kind of miss my oxygen,” Finn admits. 

“Don’t mention it to your mom or my dad, or they’ll have you back in a hospital,” Kurt says with a sigh. “I mean, of course if you need one, that’s fine, but I’d rather avoid it if possible.” He slides out of bed, shivering a little as he darts across to the table and picks up the inhaler, sliding back under the covers gratefully as he hands Finn the inhaler. “Okay, that was cold.” 

“You don’t have clothes on,” Finn says. “And now your feet are cold. Your cold feet are on me!”

“Do you want me to get out of bed _again_ just to find clothes or socks?” Kurt asks. 

“No. I want you to never get out of bed so your feet don’t get cold.”

“We’ll need to move some food closer to the bed, then,” Kurt says. “Or make sure we invite people over periodically to bring us things. Otherwise that sounds like a good plan.” He smiles at Finn. “Sleep well?”

“I don’t think I ever slept so good in my life,” Finn says. “I don’t remember better sleep.

“I can’t remember the last time I felt this good when I woke up,” Kurt admits. “I hated to wake Rachel up, she looked so peaceful.” 

Finn props himself up on his elbows and looks at Rachel, smiling at her as he brushes some of her hair away from face. “She looks so pretty, just like I remember.”

“Happiness makes people even prettier,” Kurt says. “So we should be the prettiest people in New York.” 

“Are you as happy as me?” Finn asks. 

“Maybe even happier,” Kurt says, his smile widening. 

“So we can stay in bed all day, then?”

Kurt laughs. “We might have to open the door for our parents at some point.” 

“No, I don’t think we have to do that,” Finn says, sliding back under the covers again and putting his arm around Kurt. “We’ll stay very quiet. They’ll think we’re out.”

“I don’t want them to report us missing,” Kurt says, still smiling. “But we could try it at some point.” 

Rachel whines on the other side of Finn. “Too early,” she mumbles, burrowing her face into Finn’s arm. “No talking before coffee.”

“Coffeemaker,” Kurt says. “We’ll have to relocate the coffeemaker, too.” 

“We’re never leaving the bed,” Finn informs Rachel.

“That’s good,” she says. “Can it be quiet in the bed we’re never leaving?”

“No,” Finn says.

“You’ll be the first one to start singing, and you know it,” Kurt says to Rachel. “You don’t really want us to be quiet.” 

“Just thirty more minutes?” Rachel asks.

“No, we have to have coffee,” Finn says, “and we have to open the door eventually.”

“I’m going to order a new coffeemaker,” Kurt announces, rolling to the side and groping for his phone. “It’s going to be on a timer and also have a remote. They have remote-controlled coffeemakers, right? They should.” 

“That sounds brilliant,” Rachel grumbles. “You should invent one and make us all rich so we can sleep all day and not have to wake up to people talking about remote-controlled coffeemakers.”

“I think you should kiss her while I order the coffeemaker,” Kurt says to Finn. “Maybe that’ll help her wake up.” 

“Ew, no,” Rachel says. “First she wants to get up and brush her teeth.”

“I think you’re not really on board with the staying in bed thing, Bibi. Coffee, brushing teeth…” 

“Rachel, you need to get with the plan. The plan is to never get out of bed,” Finn says. 

“You keep it warm for me,” Rachel says, as she sits up, yawns, stretches, and then swings her legs over the edge of the bed. As her feet touch the floor, though, she squeals. “Oh! It’s so cold!”

“I have no idea where your slippers ended up,” Kurt says. “Bring enough coffee for all of us.” 

“Ooh, I hate you!” Rachel says, quickly hurrying to the bathroom. 

“She’s not making coffee,” Finn says. 

“Maybe she had to pee first,” Kurt says, shrugging slightly and scooting closer to Finn. “She won’t leave us coffee-less. Or tea-less, in your case.” 

When the shower starts, Finn looks at Kurt and shakes his head. “I really don’t think she’s making coffee, Kurt.”

“She will eventually, because she wants some,” Kurt says. “But no, it doesn’t seem to be at the top of her agenda. What sounds good for breakfast?”

“Cake.”

“What kind of cake?” Kurt asks. 

Finn’s brow furrows as he thinks it over. “Every kind.”

“Well, what kind of cake _first_ , then?”

“Birthday cake,” Finn says. “I missed my birthday. Two birthdays?”

“Yeah,” Kurt says softly. “Two birthdays. Okay, birthday cake we can do. I promise not to put on the candles that don’t blow out.”

Finn looks puzzled by the idea. “How do they not blow out?”

“You blow them out, and just when you think you’ve extinguished them all, somehow they flare back up,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “It’s science I don’t understand.”

“That seems mean,” Finn says. 

“Oh? Does it?” Kurt says. “Then I suppose you owe me, Finn.” 

“I do?”

“Mmmhmm. _Someone_ switched out the candles that Carole bought with some _he_ had bought, for my eighteenth birthday.” 

“Was it Burt?” Finn guesses.

“Oh, no, it was _not_ my dad,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “It was _you_ , and I should have known something was up when you insisted that you would video it for my dad.” 

“Hmm. I don’t remember that,” Finn says. “Maybe you’re confused.”

“Would you like me to find the video?” Kurt asks, trying not to laugh. “Because you can distinctly be heard laughing in the background, saying something about how you knew it would be awesome.” 

“I think maybe that wasn’t me,” Finn insists.

Kurt laughs out loud. “Oh, I’m very sure it was you.” 

“I’m going to make the coffee now!” Finn announces, hopping off the bed and standing up.

“That’s one way to avoid the conversation,” Kurt says with a smile. He rolls onto his back and yawns a little. “There’s a kettle on the stove you can use for your tea.” 

“Okay, I’ll be right back!” Finn calls as he walks naked towards the kitchen. 

“Oh, and the sugar bowl is above the coffeemaker!” 

“Okay!”

Kurt lies on the bed, listening to Finn moving around and the sound of Rachel’s shower, and then he hears Rachel’s shower stop. “Finn?” he finally asks. 

Finn doesn’t answer, but more rattling and banging comes from the kitchen. Kurt sits up and wraps one of the blankets around his shoulders before getting out of bed and walking to the kitchen, where Finn is standing and staring at the coffeemaker, looking extremely distressed. 

“Finn?” Kurt repeats. 

“I broke the coffee,” Finn says, and Kurt looks more closely at the coffeemaker before realizing he’s watching gritty coffee pouring across the counter and then onto the floor. 

“Oh.” Kurt reaches for the coffeemaker, turning it to off, then looks at it perplexedly. “Did you remember the filter?” 

“The filter?” Finn asks.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” Kurt says, wiping off the machine and starting to clean it. “Where’s the pot?”

“Oh. I think I forgot it.”

“Do you want to start the water for tea?” Kurt asks, wiping down the counter and throwing a towel on top of the coffee on the floor before starting to measure out coffee into the filter. “And yes, you do need the pot. Or a series of cups.” 

“Okay. I thought I remembered how to do it,” Finn says. “Maybe I didn’t actually know.”

“Maybe you had only used one of the single-cup coffeemakers,” Kurt suggests, shrugging slightly. “It’s fine.”

“I’m sorry,” Finn says. He keeps standing there, staring forlornly at the coffee pot. 

Kurt flips the power switch back to on and walks over to Finn, picking up the edges of the blanket around his shoulders and wrapping it around Finn as well. “It really is fine,” Kurt says. “I don’t mind morning breath if you don’t.” 

“I don’t mind,” Finn says, bending to give Kurt a kiss. Kurt wraps the blanket more snuggly around the two of them, returning the kiss, and he smiles at Finn as they barely separate. 

“See, I brought the bed to you.” 

“That’s good. I like that,” Finn says. 

“We could just keep a really big blanket wrapped around the three of us at all times,” Kurt says, mostly jokingly. “It’s not quite as good as a bed, but it’s close.” 

“I smell coffee,” Rachel says, as she shuffles into the kitchen with wet hair and wearing her robe. 

“It’s on the floor,” Finn says, holding out the edge of the blanket and waving Rachel inside.

“The kind in a mug will be ready soon,” Kurt says, closing the blanket around the three of them. “You’re overdressed.”

“That’s a first!” Rachel laughs. “I honestly didn’t think I’d ever hear you say such a thing!”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Kurt says. “It’ll be our secret.” 

“My lips are sealed,” Rachel says, her face suddenly serious.

“Oh, are you allowing kisses now?” Kurt asks. 

“Maybe,” Rachel says. Finn immediately pulls her up into a kiss, which makes her giggle against his lip. “Finn!”

“Don’t _resist_ , Bibi,” Kurt says with his own laugh. “Finn even started the coffee for us.”

“Did you?” Rachel asks Finn.

“I sort of did,” Finn says.

“It’s good, I noticed last night the loft had an odd smell. Now it smells like coffee,” Kurt says. “And I think it’s ready. We should get coffee and tea and go back to the actual bed.” 

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Rachel says. 

“Why don’t you get Finn’s tea,” Kurt says, wrapping the blanket solely around Finn and nudging him towards the bed. “I’ll get our coffee, and Finn, you can warm the bed back up for us.” 

“Okay,” Finn says, heading back towards the bed with the blanket.

“How’s he doing this morning?” Rachel whispers, once Finn is back in the bed. 

“He forgot about the filter for the coffee,” Kurt says equally quietly as he pours the coffee into two mugs. “But he could have used a Keurig or similar before. More problematic, perhaps, is not putting the pot in place to catch the coffee.” Kurt shrugs. “But coffee wasn’t his drink, and still isn’t, so it may not be very much at all.” 

“I guess he still has so much he might not remember,” Rachel sighs. 

“I’d rather him never be able to use a coffeemaker and remember more people, though,” Kurt says, picking up the mugs. “Maybe we need to prioritize what we’re asking of him.” 

“So, who should we have him talk to next, then?” Rachel asks.

“We should see if Puck can Skype. Quinn, too. And Mr. Schuester. I think that would devastate Mr. Schue, if Finn didn’t remember him.” 

“Maybe we should show Finn a picture of him first?”

Kurt nods. “We have our yearbooks. Those might help, as long as we’re guiding it. It would be horrible luck if he remembered Rick the Stick and not Coach Beiste, all thanks to yearbook layout.” 

“I’ll get the yearbooks,” Rachel says. “Can you relocate my coffee to the bed?”

“Of course,” Kurt says, leaning forward and kissing her cheek before smiling at her. “Or did you want a proper kiss?” 

“Save one for me,” she replies, giving Kurt a wink as she turns towards the area of the loft being used for storage now.

Kurt shakes his head at her, still smiling, and walks to the bed with their coffee, setting the mugs down carefully before climbing in beside Finn. “Since we don’t know what you will and won’t remember, we thought we’d try to prioritize people,” he says as he presses close to Finn. “Rachel’s gone to get a few of our yearbooks.” 

“Okay,” Finn says, his voice sounding vague enough that Kurt knows that there’s at least something of what Kurt said that Finn doesn’t quite understand. 

Kurt frowns for a few seconds, reviewing the sentences in his head. “We’ll just look at some pictures of people we know,” he rephrases. 

“Okay,” Finn says, sounding more confident this time.

“Found them!” Rachel calls out in a sing-songy voice as she approaches the best with the stack of yearbooks held aloft. “They were at the bottom of a box.”

“Let’s start with junior year or senior year,” Kurt says, wincing a little at the thought of his yearbook pictures the first two years of high school. 

“Here you go,” Rachel says, plopping the books into Kurt’s lap before climbing into bed on the other side of Finn, freshman and sophomore books still in hand. 

“Oh. Yearbooks,” Finn says quietly, nodding. “Okay.”

Kurt flips through the book from senior year quickly, knowing approximately where the page he wants is located, and when he finds it, he smiles a little, smoothing the pages before sliding the book into Finn’s lap. “This is the glee club, our senior year. You already know who four of the people are.” He points to Finn, Rachel, and Puck before pointing at himself. “Do you know who this is?” Kurt points next at Mr. Schuester, holding his breath a little. 

Finn squints at the picture for several seconds, his eyes moving back and forth. “Will?” he asks tentatively. 

“Yeah,” Kurt says softly. “Will Schuester. That’s right.” 

“He’s not a student,” Finn says. “He’s old. He’s the… teacher?”

Kurt nods. “He was the teacher who ran glee club. You helped him, the year after we graduated. Do you remember that?” 

“Maybe,” Finn says. 

“You and Will were very close,” Rachel says. “He was almost like a father to you.”

“Did that make Burt sad?” Finn asks. 

“Oh, no,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “I think most adults feel like there’s no such thing as too many parental figures.” He smiles a little and leans his head against Finn’s arm as he points to two more faces in the picture. “Do you remember either of these two?” He looks apologetically at Rachel, but keeps his fingers where they are. 

Finn frowns, his brow wrinkling as he squints down at the picture. “She had a baby,” Finn says, tapping his fingertip on Quinn’s picture. “She’s pretty.”

“Yes, she’s very pretty,” Rachel agrees. “Do you remember her name?”

Finn shakes his head. “Do I know her?”

“You do,” Rachel says. 

“Something you didn’t know before is that she married Puck,” Kurt says. “And she had another baby, too. Her name is Quinn.” 

“The baby?” Finn asks.

“No, the woman in the picture,” Rachel says. “That’s Quinn.”

“Oh.” Finn frowns more deeply, then his face relaxes. “Quinn Fabray?”

“Exactly!” Kurt gives him a big smile and then taps Santana’s picture. “This person lives in New York now, so you might see her sometime. Do you remember her?”

“She doesn’t like me,” Finn says quickly. 

Kurt winces and considers it before shrugging. “I think it’s hard to say whether or not she does,” he finally says diplomatically, “but you’re right. She often acted like she didn’t like you.” 

“Why didn’t she like me?” Finn asks. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Nothing you need to worry about anymore,” Rachel says, putting her hand on top of his. 

“Santana only really likes a few people,” Kurt says. “It’s fine. Her name _is_ Santana, though. Like I said, she lives in New York, but not here.” 

“The bed isn’t big enough,” Finn says.

“And none of us would enjoy her being in our bed, anyway,” Rachel says, “including Santana.”

Kurt laughs. “It’s true. Do you recognize any of the other people in the picture, Finn?” 

“Her name is a car,” Finn says, pointing to Mercedes. “She sings really well, right?”

“Yes. Mercedes. And I’m going to tell her you said that,” Kurt says. “It’ll make her happy.” 

Finn looks more closely at the picture, his eyes slowly traveling across each of the faces, like he’s searching for something specific. After almost a minute of this, he says, “Hey! Where’s Matt?”

“Finn, Matt and his family moved to Oakland after our sophomore year,” Rachel says. “Do you want me to show you the picture with Matt in it?” Finn nods, so Rachel open the sophomore yearbook to the glee club picture. She points at Matt. “See?”

“Okay,” Finn says. “Why is Kurt so short?”

Kurt covers his face and shakes his head. “There’s a _reason_ I wanted to stick to the junior and senior yearbooks,” he mumbles through his fingers. 

“Puberty,” Rachel explains, taking the book from Finn and closing it. “Here, let’s go back to the senior yearbook.”

“An excellent idea,” Kurt says brightly. “Do you remember Mike or Tina?”

“Which ones are they?” Finn asks. 

Kurt points to Mike first, then Tina. “Mike graduated with us, but Tina was still in the glee club the year you helped Will.” 

“She dated Blaine?” Finn says, not sounding very sure. 

“Close enough,” Kurt says wryly. “She had a crush on him. I’m not sure now, looking back on what I’ve heard about it, if he really tried to discourage her or not.” 

“He’s Artie. He played football in the wheelchair,” Finn announces, tapping on Artie’s picture. “Only… there’s something about monsters?”

“The halftime show,” Kurt says. “Do you mean zombies?” 

“Maybe,” Finn says. 

“I think you probably do,” Rachel says. “His makeup was particularly terrifying.”

“Are we done now?” Finn asks. “I don’t think I know anybody else.”

“I think so,” Kurt says, nodding and closing the yearbook. “Should I let our parents know that they can bring us food now?” 

“Can it be cake?” Finn asks.

“How about we could send them to our favorite deli for sandwiches, maybe some soup, and they can see what cakes they have there or at the bakery next door?” Rachel suggests. 

“Okay,” Finn says. “That’s good, too.”

“I’m going to see if they can stop and get you a robe, too,” Kurt says, picking up his phone and typing out a message. “Rachel and I already each have one. For now, we should probably put on shirts and sweatpants at least.” 

“Where did my clothes go?” Finn asks.

“Would you like me to get them?” Rachel offers. “You can pick something out, if you want, or I can pick it out for you.”

“You can pick,” Finn says. 

The three of them do put on clothes, and Burt responds to Kurt that they’ll bring food, cake, and a robe. Despite Burt and Carole having to make three stops, they still arrive at the loft so quickly that Kurt suspects they were already out, or already thought of the robe, or both. There isn’t a great deal of conversation as they eat the food, nor as they eat some of the cake, but after the table is cleared and Carole’s had Finn spin around in his robe, she looks at Burt and clears her throat quietly, looking at the three of them before looking at Burt again. 

“Burt and I were discussing a few things this morning,” Carole says slowly. 

Burt nods his agreement. “We had a few…” He exchanges a look with Carole, then turns to address Kurt. “Concerns, I guess we could say, primarily about how you and Rachel are going to balance your classes, work, and all the appointments for Finn.”

“Rachel and I haven’t had an opportunity to sit down with anyone from NYADA yet,” Kurt says, glancing at Rachel briefly before continuing. “I’m sure they’ll be understanding and somewhat accommodating about the rest of this semester. We’ll be able to plan our schedules better going forward.” 

“Since I’m a semester ahead of Kurt, our classes often don’t synchronise,” Rachel says. “And we can spend less time on campus socializing before and after classes, as well.”

“Exactly. And our work schedules are already very flexible, though I suppose we may need to cut back somewhat,” Kurt says. 

“But don’t you both think someone should be with Finn at all times?” Carole says. 

“At least until he has a routine established here,” Burt adds, clearly attempting to appease Kurt. “We don’t mean indefinitely. Just until he’s made a little more progress with his recovery.”

Kurt sighs quietly. “What do you think about that, Finn?” 

Finn’s eyes dart back and forth between Kurt, Burt, and Carole. “Um.”

“There’s no right or wrong answer,” Rachel says, patting Finn’s hand. “However you’d feel most comfortable is fine.”

“Okay. Thanks,” Finn says. 

“I suppose one of us could look into taking a late withdrawal,” Kurt says. “Or we can drop a few classes each and have only six or seven credits, if it’s really that big of a concern.” 

“Oh, no, we don’t mean that you should interfere with your education,” Carole says quickly, and Kurt gives her and Burt confused looks. 

“I think Finn would be just fine here in the loft without someone watching him constantly,” Rachel says. “He’s not a danger to himself. The doctors were perfectly confident about that.”

“I know how to make coffee,” Finn says loudly. 

“I’m not sure what coffee has to do with it,” Burt says. “And nobody’s saying he’s a danger to himself. We just think it would be better if he wasn’t alone.”

“You have to put in a white thing,” Finn says, still loudly.

“Filter,” Rachel whispers to him from the corner of her mouth.

“Filter,” Finn repeats. “You have to put in a filter to make coffee.”

“So what exactly _are_ you suggesting?” Kurt asks, shooting Finn a quick glance while shaking his head. “And it doesn’t, since Finn won’t be making coffee for himself. Just tea.” 

“Carole? Would you like to explain what we came up with?” Burt asks. 

“I was thinking about looking around nearby and finding a small apartment for myself,” Carole says. “That way I’d be nearby to lend a hand. I could go with Finn to his appointments if necessary, or we could just keep each other company.” 

“But I _could_ make coffee,” Finn insists. “If I liked it. Which I don’t.”

“We’ll worry about coffee later,” Kurt says, feeling almost desperate. “And Carole, I suppose that’s an… interesting idea, but I don’t think anyone meant for you to uproot yourself.” Kurt looks at Rachel, eyes wide, trying to mentally tell her to say something. 

“Isn’t that a lot of housing to maintain?” Rachel asks. “The house in Lima, Burt’s apartment in Washington, _and_ an apartment in New York?”

“Well, we’d already been thinking about downsizing,” Carole says. “Of course Burt needs to maintain a residence in Lima, and oversee the shop, but the house is really too big. I just rattle around in it. We might get a nice townhome in Lima. Remember where they were building new ones, the last time you two came to visit?” 

Kurt nods slowly, trying to buy time to gather his thoughts. “It might be hard to find an apartment with a six-month lease,” he finally says. “You might need to look at subletting.” 

“Oh, right,” Carole says, looking a little startled, but the last thing Kurt wants, and the last thing he thinks they need, is Carole living practically around the corner for an entire year or longer. 

“We can try that,” Burt says. “I think it would be good for Finn to have more time with his mom.”

“I suppose it would be cheaper than a hotel room used often,” Kurt concedes. “Did you want Rachel to find the number of the agent who she called to help us find this place? We could see how soon he has some time available.” 

“Sure. That’d be great,” Burt says. 

“Rachel?” Kurt says, smiling at her. “Of course he was one of the most junior workers in the office, but he was very thorough.” 

“I think I have his business card,” Rachel says. “I’ll just go look for it.”

“That’ll be a big help, I’m sure,” Carole says. “What other plans did the three of you have for today? Finn? Was there anything you wanted to do particularly?”

“Take a nap,” Finn says.

“It is important that Finn continue to rest,” Kurt says as blandly as possible. “I also have a message on my phone from Puck, wondering if you’re up to using Skype later today, once he’s off duty for the evening. Off duty at work, that is. There’s something in his text about not being off duty at home regardless.” 

“Oh, that will be so nice!” Rachel says. “I think a nap first is probably a wonderful idea, though.”

Kurt nods. “Yes, I agree.” 

“Burt, I have a feeling they’re trying to tell us something,” Carole says with a sigh and a smile as she takes the card from Rachel. “We could come back around dinnertime.” 

“We’ll discuss it a little later this afternoon,” Rachel says, giving Carole a wide smile that’s only barely obvious in its theatricality. 

“One of us can text or call you,” Kurt offers. “You might be able to find a sublet or a partially furnished place quickly.” 

“That would be nice. The hotel rooms here are a little smaller than I’m used to,” Burt says. 

“Yes, they’re a little cramped,” Kurt says, nodding and smiling. Despite everyone seemingly being on the same page, it still takes another ten minutes to usher Burt and Carole out the door, though it only takes two minutes after that for Kurt, Finn, and Rachel to lie back down in the bed, naked once again. 

After they spend some time cuddling and a lot of time kissing, the three of them do nap, and as they wake up, Kurt stretches happily, smiling at Rachel and Finn. “Good nap?” he asks them. 

“Yes. I like those naps,” Finn says.

“I could use at least two of these a day,” Rachel says, rolling to prop her chin on Finn’s shoulder. “Are you hungry?”

“Is there more cake?” Finn asks. 

Rachel laughs. “I could go check. I want some coffee, anyway. Kurt?”

“Afternoon coffee sounds good, yes,” Kurt says, nodding. “And I wouldn’t turn down the cake.” 

“I’m so surprised!” Rachel says, giggling as she stands and pulls her clothes on again. “Kurt Hummel not turning down cake!”

“Shush, Bibi,” Kurt says, sticking his tongue out at her. Rachel sticks her tongue out at Kurt in response before walking towards the kitchen. “I wouldn’t turn down cheesecake, either.” He props himself up enough to pick up his and Finn’s shirts from the floor, tossing them on the bed, and then he reaches for his laptop.


	11. Chapter 11

  
Kurt shakes his head and opens up the laptop, hiding almost everything else before starting Skype. He grabs his shirt and pulls it on, handing Finn’s to him. 

“Do you remember Skype? It’s like a video telephone call.” Finn shrugs noncommittally. “We’ll be able to see Puck while we talk to him. Put your shirt on, though.”

“Okay,” Finn says, pulling his shirt over his head.

Kurt adds Puck’s contact information, then selects his name to start connecting. “Puck is five or six hours ahead of us.”

Finn’s eyes widen. “So… he already knows we called?”

Kurt smiles and shakes his head. “No, it’s just because he’s stationed in Europe right now.” Before he can say more, the call connects, and Puck appears, sitting on a sofa and holding a baby, whom Kurt assumes is Knox. 

“Hey!” Puck says happily, grinning at them, but Kurt can tell his eyes are mostly focused on Finn. “I wasn’t sure you’d be up for this yet. How are you, Finn?”

Finn smiles back at Puck. “Hi!” he says. “You’re Puck!” His smile widen even more. “That’s your baby! You have a baby! And that’s your baby!”

“Yeah, this is Knox,” Puck says, still grinning, and he lifts Knox up a little, aiming his face towards the camera. “He’s not quite two months old yet.” 

“Knox?” Finn repeats. “Knox. Like our fort!”

“Fort?” Kurt says. “There is a Fort Knox, but I don’t understand.” 

“No,” Finn says. “ _Our_ fort. Our gold fort, made out of gold bricks.”

“Ooookay,” Kurt says slowly, drawing out the word, but Puck laughs. 

“That was a great plan, dude. We never would have had to worry about money after we broke in at Fort Knox, right?” 

“Right!” Finn says, then adds, “Dude.”

“But yeah, Knox is a little bit named like our fort plans,” Puck says. “They set you free from the hospital, though? How do you like New York so far?”

“I live here. New York is home,” Finn says. “I know how to make coffee.”

“Stop lying, Finn,” Kurt says. “Puck isn’t going to try to send you back to Lima, so you don’t have to convince him you can make coffee.” 

“Do you even drink coffee, Finn?” Puck asks. 

Finn grimaces as he shakes his head. “No, I don’t even drink coffee. It tastes really horrible. I drink tea. That makes me fancier than other people.”

Puck laughs. “Oh, sure it does. You might change your mind if you had overnight duty shifts that lasted twelve hours. And living in New York sounds awesome.” He pauses and looks to the side, then nods before looking back at them. “Hey, do you mind if Quinn says hi?”

“Is she there?” Finn asks.

“Yeah, she’s here. Making sure I support Knox’s head,” Puck says, clearly joking. 

Quinn moves into the frame, sitting next to Puck. “Hello, Finn,” she says. “I’m so glad it’s really you.”

“It’s really me,” Finn agrees, nodding. “They did tests and everything.”

“Yes, in the middle of his MRI, he started singing along with ‘Don’t Stop Believing’,” Kurt says wryly. “If we had had any doubts before, that would have gotten rid of them.” 

“Really?” Puck asks. “So no memory problems with singing, then.” 

“I remember singing and dancing,” Finn says.

“Of course you do,” Quinn says. “I think that’s all we did for three years straight!”

“I like your baby,” Finn says, addressing Quinn. “He’s a better baby than other babies.”

“Thank you. We like him, too,” Quinn says with a little laugh.

“He looks like Puck, though,” Finn continues. “That’s too bad.”

“Hey!” Puck says, making a face. “Well, I know it’s you now.” 

“Maybe he’ll outgrow it,” Quinn stage-whispers, her hand to the side of her mouth like she’s trying to keep it a secret from Puck.

“Or you could give the baby…” Finn pauses for a second. “Knox. You could give Knox a mohawk. That would look good.”

Puck grins at that and nods, putting an arm around Quinn. “I’ve been trying to talk her into that for months now, ever since we found out Knox was going to be a boy,” he says. “And I heard that crack about outgrowing it, Quinn.” 

“I also said we could discuss it when he actually had more than five strands of hair,” Quinn says. “You’re going to make Finn think I never listen to you!”

“Don’t ever listen to him,” Finn says. “He married you so he’d have somebody to listen to, not the other way around.”

Kurt laughs at that assessment, especially since he can’t really argue with it, and he somehow doubts that Puck would actually argue with it, either. “Very insightful,” Kurt says to Finn. 

Puck sighs overly dramatically. “At least she’s nice to listen to, even if she doesn’t listen to me.” 

“You got a baby. Be happy!” Finn says.

“See? That’s exactly what _I_ keep telling him,” Quinn says, winking at Finn. “You got a baby out of this deal. What more do you want?”

“I told you, just to take my lovely wife out to dinner and show her off. And for both of us to get four straight hours of sleep,” Puck says to Quinn, then turns back to Finn. “Knox doesn’t like to sleep for too long at once. He might miss something. I’ll be glad for that attitude when he’s six, I figure.” 

Rachel’s voice breaks into the conversation as she approaches the bed. “Did you get Puck on the— boys!”

“What?” Kurt asks. “Did we not have any cake left?”

“Did you two just not bother to put pants on?” Rachel says. “Your pants are _right_ here on the floor.”

“I have pants on,” Finn says, his face going completely blank.

“I can tell that’s a lie all the way from Europe,” Puck says, looking like he’s trying not to laugh. 

“I don’t think Puck and Quinn can tell we don’t have pants on,” Kurt says. “Can you? Quinn?” 

Quinn’s face turns slightly pink. “I hadn’t thought about that even being a possibility!”

“No underwear?” Puck asks, still fighting laughter. 

“I have on underwear,” Finn insists.

“Finn Hudson, don’t lie to people about your underwear!” Rachel scolds as she sits down next to Finn and leans in to wave at the screen. “Hi, Quinn! Hello, Puck! Hello, Knox!”

“Hello, Rachel,” Quinn says. 

“Hey, Rachel,” Puck says, then starts laughing as he looks at Quinn briefly. “So, do _you_ have on underwear?”

“Puck!” Rachel says. “I’m not going to answer that question!”

“We do,” Finn says. “She doesn’t.”

“Oh, you big liar!” Rachel shrieks, though she’s laughing as she whacks him on the arm.

“It’s only half a lie,” Kurt says, smiling as he looks off the bed. “Your bra’s lying next to our underwear.” 

Puck starts laughing harder, which startles Knox, which only makes Puck laugh more. Finn looks confused, his forehead wrinkling as he tilts his head to the side, watching Puck laugh.

“Why is it funny?” Finn asks.

“Most people don’t Skype half-naked, that’s all,” Puck says with a little shrug. 

“But it’s the right half that’s naked, right?” Finn says. “It’s the covered up half.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Puck says. “I talked to my CO, and we might be able to take a week and come visit this summer.” 

“Carole’s going to get a small apartment nearby for a few months,” Kurt says. “We can see if she’d let the three of you stay with her, save you the cost of a hotel.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, Kurt,” Quinn says. 

“Yeah, that’d be a big help,” Puck says, nodding at Kurt and then his eyes slide over to Finn. “It’s really, really good to see you, dude. Maybe we can do this again next week?” 

“Okay,” Finn says. “I’ll probably have pants on then.”

“We love you,” Quinn says. “All three of you!”

“We love you, too,” Rachel replies. 

“Once Finn gets a phone and things, we’ll let you know that information,” Kurt promises. “And Knox is a very nice-looking baby, despite his unfortunate favoring of his father.” He smiles at both Puck and Quinn, his finger moving the cursor to linger on the end button. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Puck says, but he grins back as he says it. “Later, guys.” 

“Bye!” Finn says, waving as Kurt ends the Skype session. 

“They seem so… happy and at peace,” Kurt says. “It’s nice to see.” 

“It is. I’m happy for them,” Rachel says, as she slips under the blankets next to Finn. “Did you have a nice talk with Puck?”

“He named his baby after our gold bar heist plan,” Finn says. “That was nice of him.”

“When exactly did the two of you plan to steal the gold at Fort Knox?” Kurt asks. 

“It was summer,” Finn says.

“Which summer?” Rachel asks. “Not the last summer before you got lost.”

Finn shakes his head. “Before the mohawk. I had long hair then.”

“Middle school?” Kurt guesses. 

“I had the shirt with the fire on it,” Finn says. “What year was that?”

Kurt frowns, thinking through the pictures Carole has. “Eight or nine,” he finally says. “I think you were eight or nine.” 

“Okay,” Finn says. “We were eight or nine. We were going to steal gold bars from Fort Knox and build a fort out of them, and call _it_ Fort Knox.”

“Ambitious, but somehow unsurprising,” Kurt says. “Too bad you didn’t succeed.”

“I think Puck got grounded the rest of that summer, so we couldn’t finish the tunnel,” Finn says. “That’s too bad. We would have a lot of gold bars.”

“Which would have been very useful,” Kurt says. “Did we at least have some cake, Bibi?”

“We did,” Rachel says. “Carole put it in the fridge, though, so I left it out for the icing to thaw.”

“Good. We’ll have more cake in a few minutes then,” Kurt says, closing the laptop completely and setting it carefully on the floor underneath the bed. “Did you enjoy talking to people that way, Finn?”

“Yes. That was good. I like Puck’s baby,” Finn says. “We should talk to them next week, too. Every week.”

“We’ll make sure we do,” Kurt promises. “Later today or tomorrow there’s one other person who’d like to talk to you that way, I think. Will isn’t in Europe, but he’s not in New York, either, so he can’t come visit you in person.” 

“Is he in Lima, like the bean?”

“No, not anymore. He’s teaching at a new school now, in Lafayette, Indiana,” Kurt says. 

“Oh,” Finn says. “Okay.”

“Do you remember that he married Ms. Pillsbury?” Kurt asks curiously. “Emma?” 

“Does Will have a baby?” Finn asks.

“Actually, yes, he does,” Kurt says. 

Finn looks almost mystified for a moment, then he says, eyes wide, “Did _everyone_ have a baby?”

“Well, we didn’t have a baby,” Rachel says.

“Actually, my dad did think you and I would eventually, Bibi,” Kurt says. “But to answer your question, Finn, no. Those are the only babies we’re aware of.”

“Do you want a baby?” Finn asks.

“We’re still a little young to have a baby or babies,” Kurt says. “I suppose I always assumed I’d be at least twenty-five or thirty before even thinking about it.” 

“Okay,” Finn says.

“Do _you_ want a baby?” Kurt asks. 

“I don’t know where I would keep one,” Finn says. “Where do you put babies?”

“Cribs, swings, bouncy seats, strollers,” Rachel lists. “I see women wearing them in those fancy harnesses at the Park sometimes.”

“Baby leashes?” Finn asks. 

“More like backpacks,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “And some men use those, too!” 

“Baby backpacks?” Finn’s forehead wrinkles and he shakes his head. “No, you can’t keep a baby in a backpack. That’s not safe, I think.”

“No, no, they’re specially made for babies,” Kurt assures him. “That way you can hold the baby close to you and still open doors and things.” 

“No, I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think a baby can go in a backpack,” Finn insists. 

Rachel puts her hand on Finn’s arm. “We don’t have to worry about babies in backpacks right now,” she says soothingly. “We can go back to talking about Will. Would you like to talk to Will on Skype tonight or in the morning?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, so either time works for him, I think,” Kurt says. 

“But he doesn’t put his baby in a backpack, right?” Finn asks. 

“No, he doesn’t,” Rachel says. “Would you like some cake now, Finn?”

“Oh, yes, I’d like some cake,” Finn says, his frown abruptly disappearing. Rachel kisses him on the cheek before standing up again.

“I’ll be right back with a piece for you,” she says. “Kurt, should I bring yours now, too?”

“Yes, please,” Kurt says with a nod. 

Rachel goes to the kitchen and quickly returns with plates of cake for everyone, and they do not talk about Will Schuester, babies, or backpacks while they eat their cake, nor while they each have a second slice of cake. Finn seems to relax a bit again while they eat, and when they finish their second slices, Kurt stands up to take the plates to the sink. 

While Kurt quickly washes their plates and utensils, he mentally reviews Finn’s conversation with Puck and Quinn, which went well, and a thought occurs to him. “Finn, Rachel,” he says as he walks back to the bed. “What if we put on some music and did some dancing and singing?” 

“ _Wicked_ or the _Cabaret_ revival cast?” Rachel asks.

“Bibi, I think Finn would rather hear more Journey or relatively recent popular music,” Kurt points out. 

“Oh,” Rachel says, pouting in Kurt’s direction. “Are you sure? Finn, you like _Wicked_.”

“Do I?” Finn asks.

“Rachel!” Kurt says, laughing. “Don’t lie to him!”

“Well, he _could_ like _Wicked_ ,” Rachel says. 

“So, I don’t?” Finn asks. 

“You did not in the past, no,” Kurt says. “In fact, if Rachel and I were listening to it, you would usually go downstairs or leave the house entirely.” 

“But you might like it _now_ ,” Rachel says.

“Will I?” 

“Maybe,” Rachel says. “We could try and see.”

“Let’s save it for another day, though,” Kurt says. “Let’s go with something we’re more certain of.” 

“I’ll just put my whole library on shuffle, then,” Rachel says. She puts her mp3 player into the dock and taps the music on. As the first few notes of “Popular” begin to play, Rachel holds up her hands. “I put it on shuffle, just like I said!”

“Hit skip, Bibi,” Kurt says as he looks at Finn, who does not appear to appreciate _Wicked_ more than he did senior year. 

Rachel hits skip, and the next song that starts is The Beatles’ “All My Loving”, which Finn seems to like more. Rachel dances from the stereo over to Finn, holding her hand out for him.

“Care to dance?” she asks. 

“Yes, I care to,” Finn answers, his face and tone both very serious. He takes Rachel’s hand and lets her pull him to the empty floor between the bed and the kitchen. He keeps holding her hand while she twirls, watching her feet and studying her movement. They dance through a few upbeat songs, not too vigorously, and Kurt can tell Rachel’s paying attention to Finn’s breathing as much as he is. When the music changes again, “Just the Way You Are” starts. Finn’s eyebrows rise and his eyes widen.

“Are you okay, Finn?” Kurt asks. 

“Now we dance,” Finn announces, immediately grabbing Kurt and pulling him into a waltz position. Kurt can feel his own eyes widen a little, but Finn proceeds to waltz with Kurt around the room perfectly. 

“Yes, we’re definitely dancing,” Kurt agrees. 

“This is how to dance,” Finn says, continuing to lead Kurt in the waltz until they dance close to Rachel, at which point Finn spins Kurt out and pulls Rachel in with surprising grace. He waltzes Rachel for a few more lines of the song, then stops dancing, breathing heavily. “I think I ran out of dancing.”

Kurt steps over to them, taking Rachel’s hand. “Take a seat and drink some water,” Kurt says. “I’ll take my chance with Rachel.” 

“Okay,” Finn wheezes, sitting down and drinking from a water bottle on the table next to the bed. Kurt waltzes with Rachel until the end of the song, then pulls back and bows a little to her before they walk over to Finn, Kurt picking up Finn’s inhaler on the way and offering it to him silently. 

“You were right,” Kurt says. “You definitely remember how to dance.” 

“Yes. I said I knew how, and I do,” Finn says. He takes the inhaler and breathes in one puff from it. 

“One more,” Kurt says. 

“Okay,” Finn says, breathing in another puff before handing the inhaler back to Kurt. “Tomorrow, we’ll dance more.”

“Do you want to rest until dinnertime?” Kurt asks. “I can tell Dad and Carole to come a little later with food.” 

“Can we rest naked with kissing?”

Rachel starts to laugh, sitting down on the bed next to Finn. “I’m not sure that’s all that restful, Finn.”

“Oh, I assumed that was the kind of resting, unless someone specifically said we’d sleep,” Kurt says. 

They do rest, none of them sleeping, until just before Burt and Carole arrive with dinner. Over dinner, Carole talks about the two possible apartments they looked at, both of which aren’t too far away but also are not, Kurt notes, _too_ close by. After slices of another cake Carole brought, Burt and Carole leave and Rachel and Kurt coax Finn back into bed. The two of them fake being tired until Finn closes his eyes and then falls asleep, his snoring slightly reduced. 

“He did _so_ well with Puck and Quinn,” Kurt says softly. 

“He did. He was funny,” Rachel says. “Also really seems to need everyone to believe he can make coffee.”

“He must think it’s some kind of marker of competence?” Kurt guesses. “I wonder what other things he won’t really remember how to do.” 

“We’ll have to anticipate it as a possibility for just about anything for a while,” Rachel says.

“Except dancing,” Kurt says with a smile. “He remembered how to dance quite well. Maybe even better than he could dance before?” 

“I guess he doesn’t remember that he thought he was bad at it,” Rachel says. “Music in general seems to come back to him very quickly.”

Kurt nods. “On the other hand,” Kurt says with a sigh, “he can get fixated on something easily.” 

“Like the baby backpacks?”

“Yes. And I don’t think there’s any way to predict what might cause it,” Kurt says. 

“I guess we just take it as it comes, and distract him if we can’t reassure him,” Rachel says, sighing softly. “Considering how long he was missing, and the shape he was in when he was found, he’s remembering things much better than I had anticipated. It’s like he was just waiting for us to remind him.”

“I think that’s almost exactly what it is,” Kurt says. “I do wonder… do you think we should see if Mr. Schuester could travel out here on his spring break? Finn seems to do better with face-to-face, and while he did well on Skype today, he _did_ remember Puck without very much prompting.” 

“Oh, we should!” Rachel says. “I think both of them would love that.”

“We’ll try to keep his focus here in New York, except for Puck and Quinn, I think,” Kurt says. “And we’ll tell him not to offer to make coffee for Carole.” 

“We should buy him a pod coffee maker for Christmas,” Rachel suggests. 

“With some of the ones that make tea, too,” Kurt says, nodding. “Or a late birthday present, since we owe him a few.” 

“He can pick out some flavors from the catalog, too. He might like butter toffee or French vanilla coffee!”

“Exactly.” Kurt smiles and reaches across Finn for Rachel’s hand. “And we’ll try to table the baby discussion for another year or two at least,” he adds wryly. 

“I think a baby is the _last_ thing we need right now!” Rachel says, holding onto Kurt’s hand. “Maybe in a few years, though…”

“Several,” Kurt says firmly, “but yes. _Eventually_. I think my dad would just be too enthusiastic if he thought it was even remotely a possibility.”

“It is a little more complicated now, with the three of us,” Rachel says. “Good complicated, but still complicated.”

Kurt waves his hand dismissively. “Canada had three people on a birth certificate a year or two ago, I think. Remember the press about it? I think if we’re actually ready for a baby, we can work out the complicated parts.” 

“But not for several more years.”

“Exactly.” Kurt nods and exhales, fighting a yawn. “There is absolutely no reason why I should be tired. Unless we’re just emotionally stretched out.” 

“We’re probably both more emotionally drained than we’ve been willing to acknowledge,” Rachel says. “We need to make sure to take better care of _ourselves_ , too.”

“We’ll get that sushi tomorrow,” Kurt says. “I’m sure it’s better for us than cake.” Kurt squeezes Rachel’s hand. “It took a long time, Bibi, but everything’s how it’s supposed to be.” 

“I had given up on the idea of fairy tale endings,” she says softly.

“Sometimes we get lucky, Bibi. This time, we got really lucky.” 

Rachel snuggles against Finn’s side, still holding Kurt’s hand. “We did. So very lucky.”

The three of them sleep until the sunlight wakes them up, and after a brief discussion while Rachel makes the coffee, they decide that Kurt will go around the corner and down the block to get some bagels. Kurt buys a full dozen, plus cream cheese, and then returns to the loft where the three of them have a quiet breakfast. There’s no forgetting anything or fixating on anything, and after they finish, Kurt brings his laptop to the table. 

“Would you like to talk to Will this morning?” Kurt asks. 

“Okay,” Finn says.

“At least we’re all wearing pants today,” Kurt says with a small smile as he opens Skype. 

“And that’s probably the last discussion we need to have about that,” Rachel says.

Kurt laughs. “At least for the duration of the call, yes.” He types in Will Schuester’s contact information, then starts the call before sliding the laptop in front of Finn. Will’s face appears on the screen a few moments later, a puzzled look on his face. 

“Hello? Can I— _Finn_?” Will says, his mouth dropping open and his eyes immediately looking teary. “Finn Hudson. It’s really you.”

“Yes, I’m Finn,” Finn says. “Hi, Will.”

“Hi, Mr. Schue,” Kurt says, peering at the screen from the side. 

“I guess I still wasn’t letting myself believe it,” Will says. He wipes his eyes, his smile getting wider and wider. “But it is you. Not that I thought Kurt and Rachel were lying, necessarily, just…”

“Overly optimistic?” Rachel offers. 

Will chuckles. “Yeah, that sounds nicer than ‘delusional’.”

“I’m in New York,” Finn says.

“Oh, we felt a bit like we were in a dream at first,” Kurt says. “And yes, we’re all in New York now.” 

“That’s amazing. All this time, and there you are,” Will says. “Finn, how are you feeling?”

“I have to take a lot of rests,” Finn says, “but most of the resting isn’t actually sleeping, it’s—”

“I’m sure Will doesn’t need to know that,” Rachel interjects.

“I have an inhaler. I had to do two puffs,” Finn says. “Not two ever. Two at a time.”

“Residual effects from the pneumonia,” Kurt explains to Will. “He’ll probably be able to avoid using it as much once he’s fully recovered from it.” He smiles at Will. “One of the first things Finn remembered was dancing, by the way. Followed by some Journey.” 

“He remembers how to waltz!” Rachel says. “He waltzed with both of us last night, and it was like Burt and Carole’s wedding just happened, he remembered so well. Better than then, even.”

“You’re not supposed to sing ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ in the MRI, but they didn’t stop me,” Finn says. 

“They didn’t even try,” Rachel agrees.

“It’s good to hear how much has stayed the same,” Will says. “So, you’re staying in New York temporarily or indefinitely?”

“I live here,” Finn says. “So, permanently.”

“Wow! That’s great!” Will says. 

“Carole’s going to find a small apartment for the next few months. If you wanted to come visit during your spring break, I’m sure she’d be happy to host the three of you,” Kurt says.

“You know, we don’t have any plans at all for spring break,” Will says. “I’ll need to talk to Emma, but I think she’ll say yes. It could be Ruby’s first plane ride!”

“I don’t remember Ruby,” Finn says, his brow wrinkling.

“That’s understandable. You haven’t met her,” Will explains. “She’s only nine months old. She and Emma went down to the park while I got some grading taken care of. I have some pictures here, though, if you’d like to see her.”

“Yes. I would like to see Ruby,” Finn says. 

Will grins and holds up two framed photographs, one of Will, Emma, and a very small, squishy baby, and one of a much older baby with several teeth and exceptionally red hair. “That’s my little girl.”

“Her hair is _very_ red,” Finn says. “She’s bigger than Puck’s baby.”

Will laughs and nods. “Yes, she really does have red— _Puck_ has a baby?” 

“He and Quinn have a little boy named Knox,” Rachel says. “They’re stationed in Germany right now, but he’s hoping they can come for a visit soon. Knox is right around two months old. He and Ruby are both very cute.”

“Puck and Quinn?” Will shakes his head. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Glad to hear they’re doing so well, though. Wow, this is so much information to take in!”

“Finn asked us, understandably, if everyone had had babies in the last two years,” Kurt says. “We didn’t know of any other babies, though.” 

“We don’t have a baby,” Finn says. “We don’t have a place to put one, either.”

“Well, that’s probably for the best right now, I’d imagine,” Will says. 

“We can always re-evaluate in the future,” Rachel replies brightly. 

“Again, we’re not letting my dad hear this discussion,” Kurt says, shaking his head. “Let one of us know the date of your spring break?”

“I’ll do that. Wow. Finn, I’m so glad to see your face again,” Will says, his eyes starting to water again. “I thought— well, none of that matters, because you’re back, and you seem to be doing great.”

“I know how to make coffee,” Finn says, almost too casually, side-eyeing Kurt. 

“We don’t have to have more cake later,” Kurt says equally casually. 

“I may or may not know how to make coffee,” Finn amends.

“Not,” Rachel stage-whispers.

Will laughs again. “You three. It’s just like high school.”

“Close enough,” Kurt says, looking at Rachel and Finn and smiling. 

“They love me,” Finn says.

“I’m sure they do,” Will agrees. 

“We’ll make sure to keep you in the loop as far as information,” Kurt says, glancing at the screen again. “We’re also trying to keep other names out of the press as much as we can, so you probably don’t have to worry about reporters calling.” 

“That makes a lot of sense,” Will says. “Well… I guess I should leave you all to the rest of your day. I’ll let you know about spring break. Take care of yourselves.”

“Thanks, Mr. Schue,” Kurt says.

“Bye, Finn. Kurt. Rachel.” Will gives them another smile before the screen goes blank.

“That was nice,” Rachel says. “Don’t you think so, Finn?”

“That baby has some _red_ hair,” Finn says, shaking his head. 

Kurt laughs. “Yes, she does. It’s either funny or cruel that her name is Ruby.” 

“I like it,” Finn says. “It’s pretty. I like her name.”

“I think gemstone names are coming back into vogue, anyway,” Rachel says. “I was just reading an article about Broadway babies, and there’s been an Opal, two Jades, and at least three different variations on Sapphire in the last year alone.”

“Please tell me no Diamonds,” Kurt says. “Topaz would be pretty bad, too.” 

“I like Garnet. I would name a baby Garnet,” Finn says.

“Oh?” Kurt says, smiling widely. “What about Emerald? Or, hmm. Turquoise?”

“No. Just Garnet,” Finn says. “It’s better.”

“Finn, do you know _why_ you like Garnet?” Rachel asks. “Does ‘Garnet’ mean anything to you?”

“Yeah, it’s sorta like Ruby, but not as red,” Finn says.

Rachel nods. “It’s also your birthstone.”

“Oh, somehow I have a feeling he remembered that,” Kurt says wryly. “He rejected ours, didn’t he?” 

“Mine is better,” Finn says. “That’s not my fault.”

“I see,” Rachel says. “Delegating blame. I’m so glad you’re remembering how to do that.”

“So important,” Kurt agrees, shaking his head. “Do you want some cake now?” he asks Finn. “We probably shouldn’t eat cake before lunch, which is an excellent reason to do so.” 

“I think I probably am always going to want cake,” Finn says. 

“If we always have cake, I’m going to have to start jogging, and I really don’t want to start jogging,” Kurt says, standing up and getting three plates. 

“I just like cake. That’s how I roll,” Finn insists. “I roll with cake.”

“Maybe we can compromise with cake two or three times a week instead of two or three times a day,” Rachel suggests. 

“Maybe I roll with cake,” Finn says. 

“Maybe you roll with less cake,” Rachel counters. “Alternately, you can roll with no cake.”

“Maybe I roll with less cake,” Finn concedes.

“My workout regimen and my pants thank you,” Kurt says, cutting three slices and serving them. “Is there anywhere you want to go? We can make a list for this coming week.” 

“The Statue of Liberty,” Finn says. “And a hotdog stand.”

“That sounds simple enough. Anything else? Any ideas, Bibi?”

“We should take him on a tour of delis until he finds the one he likes best,” Rachel says. 

Kurt smiles at Finn. “That’s not a bad life, Finn. Hotdogs, the Statue of Liberty, and a tour of delis.” 

“And cake,” Finn adds.

“And cake,” Kurt says with a nod. “Delis, hotdogs, and cake. Some things don’t change at all.” 

Rachel kisses Kurt’s cheek, then stands on her tiptoes to kiss Finn’s. “And we’ll all live happily ever after.”


End file.
